too see through. the board found a replacement for christine day. good morning. honoring an icon. from presidents to rock stars and royals, to tens of thousands of south african faithful braving the rain. nelson mandela is remembered this morning. >> the world thanks you for sharing nelson mandela with us. your freedom for democracy is his cherished legacy. >> in a moment, we'll be live inside that stadium. round two. yet another strong winter storm bringing snow and havoc on the roads for millions up and down the east coast. today, exclusive. the major announcement from reigning olympic skating champ, ev ev ev

evan lyzachex. and what was the most memorable moment of the year online? ♪ >> you're my wife? >> we will hand out the first-ever orange room award today, tuesday, december 10th, 2014. from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live, from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer alongside natalie morales and al roker. we have been watching this memorial service for nelson mandela at fmb stadium in soweto. and i think our first reaction was the weather is not cooperating. it was raining.

but let's remember, in south africa, rain is a blessing. boy, they're being blessed during this ceremony. >> they are. and they are being graced by dig that tears from all over the world as it unfolds. and we'll talk to brian williams in a moment. >> that's right. this unprecedented gathering is our top story this morning. first, nbc's lester holt is inside fmb stadium in soweto. lester, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning. the memorial ended about an hour ago. it was four hours long, and it all happened under a steady rain. as we noted, rain is a sign of rebirth in south africa. how fitting, because this is about the man that helped bring about the rebirth of south africa. people were here when i arrived at 6:00 this morning. the gates opened, they flooded in. they were tremendously excited about the future of their country, and they wanted to express their gratitude to the man they believed brought it about. there were heads of state from a number of countries, all 91 foreign delegations were here. it made for some rather interesting scenes.

in fact, we saw one point president barack obama shake hands with cuba's raoul castro, something no one would expect to see. for years, south africans have shared nelson mandela with the world. today the world came here to say goodbye. strains of south africa's national anthem, a song in five languages, diverse and beautiful, like the country itself. a fitting beginning to it a service honoring south africa's greatest son. >> to celebrate the life of a hero. . >> reporter: the memorial held as rain fell in the continent of africa. leaders the world over converged here, more than 70 in all. the delegation from the united states led by president obama, included former presidents george w. bush, bill clinton and jimmy carter. the measure of mandela so great, america's presidents shared a

stage with cuban leader, castro. >> for peace without, for peace within. >> reporter: after interfaith prayers, the tributes began. first, andrew melangani, whose cell on robert island was next to mandela's. >> my heart, my soul, my life. >> reporter: then members of mandela's family spoke, including four of his grandchildren. >> it's all over the world like a comet. >> reporter: president obama, who received a warm welcome, told the crowd how mandela's example helped guide his own path. >> but i believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self reflection. with honesty, regardless of our station or our circumstance, we must ask, how well have i applied his lessons in my own life. >> reporter: the crowd, overcome with emotion. mandela's life held up as a call to action, that the work to end

oppression is far from over. security on heightened alert for this impressive gathering of world leaders, many seated behind bullet-proof glass. the powerful came to honor a man who stood up to power, and changed the course of history. president obama only spending a few hours here will head whack to washington later today. and we should note, this is all part of a long goodbye, ten-day period of mourning. tomorrow nelson mandela's body will lie in state for a period of three days before his burial in his ancestral home land, the village of qunu in the eastern cape of south africa. matt? >> the organizers of this event had a long time to plan it, because unfortunately, mr. mandela was quite ill for several months. but still, the coordination of this, the security concerns of this, extraordinary. >> reporter: well, as you know, they have been quietly planning for his death for quite some time. but they didn't know how many heads of state would be here. it was a remarkable feat, given the number of government leaders

they had here. they put a security plan together, they got them all in and out safely. there didn't appear to be a lot of screening or any screening of all, those of us who came in the stadium here today, perhaps a reflection of the mood, and little fear, given the fact that most of the dignitaries were behind bulletproof glass and able to come in a separate entrance. >> lester holt in soweto, south africa for us this morning. an event that started about 1:00 west coast time, involving all those prayers and speeches by dignitaries and ending just a short time ago. lester, thank you very much. we'll have more coverage coming up right now with savannah. >> let's bring in nbc's brian williams, also in soweto, also mandela's house. brian, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. >> i have to say, as much as i'm struck by the assortment of world leaders that are there, i'm even more moved by the tens of thousands of south africans who have come, despite a pourin. what is your sense of the meaning of this moment for them?

>> reporter: well, i'm kind of with lester on this. in viewing this as a real victory in a lot of ways. just look at the crowd, and look at the mix of people which was, of course, illegal at the start of this era. look at what south africa has pulled off, being handed 100 official delegations. the tens of thousands of regular people who just wanted to be a part of this. and then mother nature had something to say about this whole gathering. it's been a herculean, monumental task. after all, they are saying goodbye to their george washington, really, for the modern era, the man who gave birth to the modern south africa. so when you consider all of that, what a day for this country, this memorial goes on, of course, into the next several days until the final farewell coming up this coming sunday. >> as lester mentioned, this is perhaps an unprecedented meeting of world leaders. and for a moment, made for

strange bedfellows. we saw president obama, of course, shake the hand of cuba's leader raoul castro. tell us what the mood has been like in the ceremony so far. >> reporter: well, let's not be overly nice about this. that dignitary section has some criminals and thieves and kings and presidents. a lot of different types of people. and there has been a lot written and said about where to seat them, so they keep their distances. several factions are not speaking to each other. several have been lifelong sworn enemies. as lester noted, the president's handshake with raoul castro was one of the better moments. the crowd's reception for robert mugabi was interesting. so, again, what would nelson mandela say to all of them and say to all of this. most of the speakers have urged the crowd, go on, behave like him. live like him. be infused with his spirit going

forward, and maybe we could get someplace. >> brian williams in soweto for us this morning. thank you so much. of course, we know brian is going to have a lot more throughout the day on nbc news.com and also "nightly news." >> another major story, the unrelenting winter storm. you're looking at baltimore where snow has been falling already, quickly spreading, set to impact millions, from tennessee all the way into massachusetts today. nbc's dylan drier is in potomac. good morning. >> reporter: the snow started 6:30 this morning and it has been accumulating quickly ever since then. the mid atlantic region will pick up 5 to 6 inches of snow. and this is one of those storms that is going to travel up along the very busy i-95 corridor. so once again, it is going to be another challenging day for travelers. just in time for rush hour this morning, the snow is already coming down in washington, d.c. drivers hitting the roads early, getting a jump on what's expected to be a messy commute. >> this is the zone of the

winter storm warning. >> reporter: it's the second winter blast to hit the east coast this week. in southern new jersey, officials warn, today's storm could wreak havoc on already slick roads. >> deep freeze. any water that's on the road, untreated, will refreeze. >> reporter: from wisconsin to texas, millions of americans are still reeling from the deadly ice, sleet and snow left by the first storm. >> i just put the car in park, sat there for two hours. >> should be very careful and drive very slow. >> i drive slow. >> reporter: in vienna, virginia, tree branches crashed through the roof of one home. fortunately, the house was empty at the time. all that ice knocked out power to nearly 100,000 in the d.c. region. >> we are actually used to having our power go off. on a fairly regular basis. and the neighbors are now thinking about putting the wires underground. >> reporter: air travelers aren't getting a break either. with flight aware reporting over 1,700 flight cancellations

monday, and hundreds more likely today. hundreds of schools closed throughout the region, monday, allowing some kids to brave the elements. >> i like snow. ice. >> trying to find a way to unisolate the cars to make them not, like, freezing cold. and, like, break. >> reporter: now, schools all across the mid atlantic have been shut down today. same goes for federal offices in d.c. so it's kept a lot of people off the roads. but that being said, at times this morning, snow is coming down at rates of about 1 to 2 inches per hour. so, al, that is the type of snowfall that really catches drivers off guard. >> absolutely. thank you so much. in fact, let's go to leesburg, virginia. it's snowing at the rate of about 2 inches per hour right now. these roads have already been salted, and you can see, they're already covered. and for philadelphia, our friends in the city of brotherly love, they are going to get a

second smack at this thing. on sunday, they had 8.6 inches of snow. that's more than they got all of last season. and here we go again. another system now. this system setting itself up. you can see washington, d.c., it's starting to snow already. it's going to move through pretty quickly, about 33 degrees by the afternoon. look at this snow. it makes its way by the morning and noon hours into boston, and then by this evening, it is one and done and gone. but before it leaves, it's going to drop about 2 to 5 inches of snow. long island, new england, on into philadelphia, about 1 to 3 inches here in new york city. and a lake-effect snow situation setting up for tomorrow. you can look at that cold air coming across the warmer waters of the lake. and it's going to drop about 1 to 2 feet of snow between pulaski and watertown in upstate new york. so, guys, it's a quick hit. and then we've got another system coming out of alaska.

it may affect us here in the northeast by the weekend. >> wow. >> and cold temperatures. >> exactly. >> all right, al. thanks very much. natalie is here. she has got more on a government surveillance program that's getting a lot of attention this morning. rpths that's right. good morning to you guys and good morning, everyone. new details emerging this morning on the spying program made public by former nsa agent, edward snowden. the surveillance apparently went far beyond computers and cell phones. according to various media reports this morning, american and british intelligence operations had been spying on gamers across the world for years. articles in the "new york times" and "the guardian" detail the programming in which they sent spies into virtual universes to monitor activity in online fantasy games, such as "world of war craft." spy an agencies have worried that such games serve as a good cover for terrorists. just before the midnight deadline, president obama signed an extension to the ban on plastic firearms, which can avoid detection on airport screening machines.

the u.s. senate ex tebltended tn on the manufacture, sale or possession of such weapons for ten years. the house passed an identical extension last week. president obama, of course, as you saw in south africa signed the bill from thousands of miles away, using the autopen. the 85-year-old korean war vet held captive in north korea for more than a month is speaking out for the reason of his arrest. on monday, merrill newman released a two-page explanation saying his attempt to connect with north korean rebels during the war was misinterpreted as something sinister. he also revealed that his videotaped confession was his only hope of getting home. newman was released on friday after spending almost six weeks under guard in pyongyang. the murder trial of a newly wed bride accused of pushing her husband off a cliff is under way in montana. jordan graham has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder in the deatof her husband, cody johnson. the 25-year-old fell to his

death at glacier national park in july, just days after the couple's wedding. graham claims she pushed johnson in self defense during an argument. george zimmerman is asking a judge to change the terms of his bond, so he can now see his girl friend. zimmerman was arrested on november 18th and charged with aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief. in a 911 call, zimmerman's girlfriend, samantha sheehy, accused him of pointing a gun at her, and then smashing a coffee table. but in a signed affidavit, she said, quote, i am not afraid of george in any manner, and i want to be with him. the state attorney's office has not made a decision on this yet. if you're planning to attend the super bowl this winter, don't bother bringing any beers or bratwursts with you. game officials say that, yes, tailgating is off limits. the season's big game will be played at new jersey's metlife stadium in early february. there had been rumors about a tailgating ban for weeks now, but the official announcement came monday.

and football fans instead are going to have to eat any food or drinks they bring in their cars. the party cannot extend, though, into the parking lot, because space is limited and you can imagine what security is going to be like. >> i wish we had a shot on al roker's face when you just said that. no bratwurst! >> i thought i lived in america. >> it's a bummer. no question. >> it is a bummer. >> all right, natalie, thank you. let's get your local forecast, . >> we have been talking a lot about cold air. we want to give you a little hope, something to strive for, to believe in. well, let's take a look right now. miami, looking good. 77, a high today of 82 degrees. and maybe you want to head down, daytona today right now at 62. 66, ft. myers. key west, 77. it's going to get up to 84 in ft. myers today. miami, 84. tallahassee, 73. even 72 degrees in savannah.

and it's always warm with savannah. >> aww. >> thanks, al. >> we're going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 oh seconds. pretty high tech, huh? and buying these tablets with your walmart credit card is faster than warp speed. you guys are gonna be like the family of the future. man the future's gonna be so cool. everybody has jet pack tennis shoes. own the season. get the hottest tablets for the whole family. and now, you can save $25 when you open and spend $75 today with your new walmart credit card account. offer valid through 12/31/13. apply today. subject to credit approval. walmart. 7:17. good tuesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. sun starting to come up over the south bay. we're at 28 degree, it is chilly out there to kick off the day. i can tell you right now it is going to be a cold one out there with our temperatures only climbing into the 50s.

right around 54 degrees in palo alto today, san jose about 52. 53 in foster city. 52 degrees in san francisco. comfortable all across the board. you look very handsome today. >> i love it. >> okay. here's an interesting one, a story about the unusual number of snowy owls spotted here in the u.s. including at new york's busiest airport. some people are upset about how authorities are how handling the situation. ann thompson has the story at jfk this morning. good morning to you. what is this all about? >> reporter: good morning, savannah. there's tremendous outrage in new york and across the country in reports that they have shot snowy owls here at jfk and now the port authority is changing how they feel about the beautiful birds.

it's a birder favorite landing in wide open spaces in search of food. areas that resemble the tundra of its native arctic. a bird of prey that's now preyed upon. here in new york, local news report sas the port authority that oversees jfk shot snowy als over the weekend. while neither confirming or denying any shootings in a statement monday night the port authority said it is moving immediately toward implementeding a program to trap and relocate the al which is they say have struck five planes in the new york city area in the past weeks. bird strikes can be dangerous to planes and passengers. most famously, 2009's miracle on the hudson when a plane made an emergency landing in the river after deaths over

the weekend the port authority must report them to federal officials by today.

savannah. >> all right. thank you very much. >> coming up on this tuesday morning, the disturbing prank targeting the coaches in this country and the arrest in the case made overnight. plus, aron ralston in court facing serious coming up, we're handing out this beauty to the most memorable moment of the year. first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, is organic milk really worth a higher price? >> plus an exclusive interview with lysacek. he has some very big news to share m morning. first, a look at news and weather.

at the corner ofon't gk

"oh! you got me something" and "oh...this is awkward." remember, walgreens has a great assortment of little somethings, and we're always nearby, so it's easy to get in and out. see you on your lunch break. swing by walgreens for lindt lindor truffles, hallmark cards, and more. plus, get up to 20 dollars in jingle cash

on next week's purchase of 30 dollars or more. here at the corner of happy and healthy. good tuesday morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the ntsb has postponed its hearing into the asiana airline crash just before 3:30 this morning the ntsb tweeted today's hearing will be delayed because the government is closed with a snowstorm headed for the nation's capital. the chief pilot and training manager were scheduled to testify along with representatives from boeing, the faa and the san francisco fire department. the plane crashed while trying to land at sfo in july, killing three teenagers. crews are trying to figure out what started a trash fire at a facility in san francisco. the warehouse is 100 yards long and 8 feet deep, mostly full of building material like lumber

and sheetrock. the fire was not contained until about an hour ago. protesters plan to march in santa rosa angry that the deputy accused of shooting andy lopez will return to work. the deputy has said he mistook lopez's replica gun for a real assault rifle. right now a check of the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. a cold one. >> it is really cold. good morning to you. and you can see hazy as well over oakland, it's a spare the air day. our second consecutive day this week. we'll likely be doing that again as we head through tomorrow. temperatures are in the 20s and 30s, 25 degrees now in the north bay, san francisco at 38. we're going to climb into the mid-50s across the board with increasing clouds, that will make for a milder start. we meet back tomorrow morning so highs in the 50s. 53 for cupertino. and 50 degrees in walnut creek. here is mike inouye. >> looking here toward 101

northbound under the interchange, things are building up for the south bay. it's a traffic tuesday. we don't see anything super bad but it's tuesday, we'll continue to build over the next 90 minutes through the south bay. northbound 280, a crash there, two cars involved. clear to the shoulder. somebody locked their keys in the car. expect more slowing. and ice reported across the durand bridge, now southbound 280 shows slowing. >> thank you very much. i'll have another update bat 7:55 or so.

♪ 7:30 on a tuesday morning, tenth day of december, 2013. snow falling on the roads in potomac maryland, as the big winter storm makes its way through the east coast this morning. getting hammered by another storm. i'm matt lauer along with savanna guthrie and mr. willie geist joining us as well. here's a look at headlines, scores of dignitaries, celebrities and south african faithful remembering nelson mandela at a memorial service. president obama delivered a moving speech calling mandela the last great liberator of the 20th century. >> and the documents leaked by edward snoeden, u.s. and british

intelligence operations have agents monitoring online gaming. >> and olympic skier body miller reached a agreement on the custody fight. >> also coming up the survivor depicted in the mark wahlberg movie. he opens up to one of the deadliest days in afghanistan. plus helping the afghan man who ultimately saved his life. and evan lysacek cap toward skating olympic gold in vancouver. he's with us this morning exclusively with a big announcement with sochi less than two months away. let's begin this half hour with a story out of los angeles that's been developing overnight. a strange case and willie has the details. good morning. >> this is an odd one. authorities arrested a los angeles man who allegedly pranked coaches from the nba nhl

to think they're offered top jobs. >> i have been hoaxing calls since i was 12 years old. >> he was tricking professional and college coaches thinking he was offering high-profile coaching jobs. the 32-year-old california man was charged with eavesdropping, for recording calls with head coaches. ken whisenhunt, jay gruden, and even legendary nfl coach and nbc sports analyst, tony dungy. >> has usc called you? >> they haven't, but, as they say, representatives of the organization have called -- your people called my people just to see if you're interested. >> dungy talked on "dan patrick show" in october after receiving a phone call for the head coaching job at usc.

that call lead to confusion and denial at usc. dungy e-mailed the writer with the subject line, hi, i hoaxed tony dungy and boasted he made dozens of similar calls and that it is, quote, a matter of time that i make headline news again with my sports coaches. >> i hoaxed nfl coaches, i'm in the new frontier of broadcaster. >> in an interview, he said his hoaxes were not limited to sports figures. claiming his fictitious calls landed him on tv shows like just allen. now his alleged pranks put him in a real-life courtroom facing charges that are anything but a joke. law enforcement sources say the investigation is ongoing but don't know how many coaches or schools were impacted. he's being held pending $20,000 bail.

prosecutors could file charges as soon as tomorrow. he has yet released a comment. he said it's all a big prank, police say it's a crime. i don't think he'll be laughing much longer about this. willie, thank you very much. mr. roker, busy man this week. so far this fall. has more on the big storm moving up the east coast. all right. we've got some cold temperatures to talk about here, but, first, antarctica, you think this is cold here? this ain't nothing. antarctica, that ridge, 13,000-foot ridge in east antarctica, recorded a temperature of 135 below zero, breaking the previous record of 128 below, at the russian ant arctic station. there's a question, whether this is actually a record, because it was recorded by a satellite, not

by an actual land-based temperature. we'll see what happens. guess what else happened in antarctica on sunday. metalli metallica, metallica playing, that's right. playing in antarctica. setting a record. playing in the coldest place ever. they did ten songs in a transparent dome. >> they got a little heat in the dome. but look at that. huh? >> that's still cold. >> it's part of their freeze tour. a rip on their album "the kill'em all tour. how do i know that? i don't, but somebody told me. all right. we've got cold air. this is the jetstream right now. jetstream has come down to the south and really has dominated. so we have all of that cold air. but the good news is, we're going to get moderation at least in the western half of the country, so the cold air will be banked up in the plains and on

into the northeast and new england. nice and warm in the southeast and out west you'll see milder 7:36. good tuesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. happy to report this is the last morning we expect to fall in the 20s, all across the bay area. it is cold out there. san jose at 28 degrees, still cold enough for frost out there and black ice. travel cautiously. campbell is in the upper 20s, so take it easy out there. we head throughout day today we're going to see a nice climb in temperatures. frost this morning until about 9:00 a.m. and then the mid-50s. everything is going on in antarctica. >> thank you very much. >> thanks so much. now to denver where aron ralston, the hiker that famously amputated his own arm to save his life was taken into custody for a disturbance at his girlfriend's home. there's a major development on this story. miguel almaguer has the details.

>> reporter: 28-year-old aron ralston avoided cameras while leaving court. the adventurer who became famous for amputated his arm with a pocket knife to avoid being pinned by a boulder. it was drama tiezed in the film 127 hours. he was arrested friday night during an altercation with his girlfriend and mother of his young daughter. scheduled to be in court monday charges against ralston were suddenly dropped. the city attorney saying there is no case. his girlfriend, however, faces three charges. assault, disturbing the peace and wrongs to a minor. their baby at home during the fight. >> she has entered a not guilty employee. >> reporter: according to a police report he was struck twice in the back of the head with fists by shannon from an

argument over their other son. ralston shoved her on the shoulder as he left their apartment. ralston's story of survival inspired kids and audiences over the years. >> seeing things that could have been a tragedy and seeing them as a blessing and maximizing the opportunities that come. >> reporter: now having spent a night in jail but cleared of any criminal charges, he is once again in the spotlight. for today, miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> the real lone survivor. the subject of the new movie with mark walhberg and the man that saved his life in afghanistan. kate snow has that story coming up. >> and on trending, are you among the most hated type of airline passengers? let's hope

♪ that's my kind of holiday. ♪ through 12 ice storms brewing ♪ ♪ 10 straight days raining ♪ 9 hailstorms pounding ♪ 5 mysteriously heavy holiday fruitcakes ♪ ♪ 4 actual tree houses ♪ 3 blackouts ♪ 2 weird to mention ♪ and a roaming horde of carolers ♪ ♪ with my exact same route [ female announcer ] no one delivers the holidays like the u.s. postal service. priority mail flat rate is more reliable than ever. and with improved tracking up to 11 scans you can even watch us get it there.

and look for our limited edition holiday stamps. he actually told me that a lot of the foods that i thought were really healthy for me can do damage to the enamel on my teeth. i am a healthy girl, i love salads, i love fruits, and it's not something i want to give up. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel twice a day as my daily toothpaste. pronamel will help protect the enamel from future erosion. it's just so great because all of those foods that i enjoyed so much, i didn't want to give up, and now i can continue to have them. [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] for tim and richard smucker, giving a gift of their family's delicious jam

always made the holidays just a little bit sweeter. we forgot to put our names on them! richard, i think they'll know who it's from. ♪ thank you boys. you're welcome. you're welcome. [ male announcer ] happy holidays from our family to yours. i love christmas! the intense ache made it hard to do the things that i wanted. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions.

tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. ♪ no presents beneath the tree? ♪ ♪ wait a minute, now i see ♪ my gifts are above me ♪ that's my kind of holiday we back with the real story

behind the movie "lone survivor". >> this is based on a u.s. navy s.e.a.l. operation in afghanistan that ended up costing lives of those in the military. kate snow sat down with the real life survivor and the man that saved him. >> they were all killed in the rugged mountains of afghanistan along with a helicopter filled with 16 s.e.a.l.s and night stalkers that tried to rescue the men. in the movie the only survivor is played by mark walhberg and his real name is played by marcus latrell and the only reason he is here is because of an unlikely friendship. the united states lost at least 17 -- >> the single deadly yesterday for american forces in afghanistan. >> it was known as operation red wing. >> u.s. military teams uncovered the bodies of dead navy s.e.a.l.s but the search

continues for another still missing. >> reporter: a team of four navy s.e.a.l.s had gone in to photograph and possibly capture a senior taliban leader. >> there's been no contact at all with the seal that's now been missing for more than a week. >> reporter: as the movie depicts their cover was blown when goat herders stumbled on their hiding place in an area filled with taliban supporters. >> we can take them but we're going to need a new spot. >> reporter: real life lone survivor marcus latrell remembers every second. >> you had to make a critical decision. >> we did. our target was down there and it was broad daylight. we ran through everything that could possibly happen including eliminating the threat. >> we got three options. >> reporter: the team knew if they let the civilians go they would probably alert the taliban. >> in the end, you voted to let them go? >> i did. it was -- yeah, that's what we did. did i want to kill them?

sure, i did. absolutely. >> do you regret the decision? >> no. >> reporter: this is what happened next, this video shot by the taliban. >> do it. >> reporter: the hollywood version is equally intense. >> that scene in the movie is one of the most powerful i have ever seen. i'm watching on the edge of my seat for, i don't know, 40 minutes of the movie. does it do justice to what actually happened? >> sure. the gunfire against the taliban. side of the mountain. everybody dies. >> reporter: you fell down a mountain about five or six times? >> it was more than that in real life. the movie was only two hours. the gun fight was over three hours long. >> how did you get up. >> we quit when you kill us. if you want to stop me, you have to kill me. >> you lost all three of your teammates. it's hard to imagine how you

would have the strength to keep going at that point. >> you just keep going. you get up and fight harder. every time they take one of your friends down or teammates down it jacks you up a little bit harder. >> reporter: marcus was wounded and thirsty when he came upon the man that would save his life. >> he started screaming american and i was on my knees and had my gun on my hip and he was looking down right at me. i could see the whites of his eyes. >> i was trying to tell him i wasn't taliban because i know that many enemy was looking for him in the mountains and i was trying to warn him that you must be careful. >> he lived strictly by a code of honor among a tribe in afghanistan which includes kindness and protection for strangers. >> they picked me up and starting carrying me to the village. >> reporter: for three days he cared for marcus hiding him from the taliban and sending his own

father to a u.s. military base which lead his rescue as depicted in the movie. >> how many people have you lost in your family because of what you did for marcus? >> two are dead. two are very badly injured. >> and i still bet you would do it again. >> he says i will always have my honor and i will hold it until my death. >> reporter: marcus still aches for the friends he lost that day. >> we didn't win. we lost. you can't switch that in anyway, in a book, in a movie, you can't turn that around and make it look like we didn't win. we lost. we coming out alive isn't a victory. some people see it like that. it's not. it's not a victory at all. >> marcus is medically retired. he is married and enjoying time with his kids in a ranch in texas. he has come to america twice since all of this happened and the u.s. military helped him early on. marcus is trying to get him a green card so he can come and visit more often.

they have a friendship. >> an extraordinary end to this story, kate. thank you very much. well, coming up, we'll do trending and ask if organic milk is any better for you and worth the extra money. and then what was this year's most memorable online moment? tamron is handing out our very first orange room award but first these messages. this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. it's not the "limit the cash i earn every month" card. it's not the "i only earn decent rewards at the gas station" card. it's the no-games, no-signing up, everyday-rewarding, kung-fu-fighting, silver-lightning-in-a-bottle, bringing-home-the-bacon cash back card. this is the quicksilver card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere, every single day. so ask yourself, what's in your wallet? soft, luxurious, so comfortable. indulge in the warmth of the season

with our embraceable pajamas. exclusively at soma and soma.com. where beautiful gifts begin. ♪ hark how the bells, sweet silver bells ♪ ♪ all seem to say throw care away ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the air ♪ [ female announcer ] chex party mix. easy 15-minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. like caramel chocolate drizzles. happier holidays. chex party mix. if every u.s. home replaced one light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, the energy saved could light how many homes? 1 million? 2 million? 3 million? the answer is... 3 million homes. by 2030, investments in energy efficiency could help americans save $300 billion each year.

take the energy quiz. energy lives here. take the energy quiz. it's holiday time, and no fruit is as versatile as our ocean spray cranberries, which is why were declaring it the unofficial official fruit of the holidays! the fig's gonna be so bummed. [ laughs ] for holiday tips and recipes, go to oceanspray.com. like our new santa fe chicken quesadilla, burger bites, sandwiches, and more, served with fries and your choice of soup or salad. chili's lunch break combos, starting at 6 bucks. more life happens here. and you appreciate the things i do. tell me you love me. even if you say it every day. just tell me. [ female announcer ] everyone you love has something they need to hear this holiday. tell them with a hallmark card.

[ female announcer ] everyone you love has something they need to hear this holiday.

well, the nasty winter storm made it's way to rockefeller center. and this is going to heat up. al is going to have the latest on that coming up. and then on trending, the worst possible gift a guy can give a woman for christmas. >> take notes guys. take notes. >> take notes guys. take notes. >> and reigning gold medal if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. for many adults, humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections,

including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work. so you want to drive more safely? of smart. stop eating. take deep breaths. avoid bad weather. [ whispers ] get eight hours.

♪ [ shouts over music ] turn it down! and, of course, talk to farmers. hi. hi. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum ♪ to share with family. [ woman 2 ] to carry on traditions. [ woman 3 ] to come together even when we're apart. [ male announcer ] in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and more, swanson makes holiday dishes delicious. what does that first spoonful taste likok. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. this is a great cereal. where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does.

using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪ as your life changes, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust along the way, refocus as careers change and kids head off to college, and revisit your investments as retirement gets closer. wherever you are today, fidelity's guidance can help you fine-tune your personal economy. start today with a free one-on-one review of your retirement plan.

good tuesday morning to you. 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the number of medical marijuana clinics in san jose could be cut way back under new rules considered today. council members will debate blocking pot clubs 1,000 feet from school, day cares, parks, libraries and churches, they would be banned within 15 feet of homes. football ain't is only thing coming. it will host wrestle mania. the stadium selected for the spring 2015. santa clara mayor and 49ers ceo will make the official announcement later this morning. wrestle mania is expected to generate $100 million for the local economy. let's see if things are warming up out there. >> good morning to you. it's still pretty cold out there but yeah, we're starting to warm

up. temperatures still in the 20s and 30s across the bay area. as we head throughout this afternoon we expect the climb into the 50s, mid-50s on the way to the south bay, peninsula, east bay 55 and 55 in san francisco for today. high pressure is going to bring about a warming trend but what's going to happen our air quality will suffer. today it's a spare the air day. wednesday and thursday, air quality is actually going to get worse, and then by friday we're talking about improvement with an area of low pressure to the north. let's check the drive. >> looking at the sunshine which is crisp and clear for the air but bad for the view. slow down for palo alto, 101 and through the hills. tough drive south down out of hillsborough, the earlier slowdown northbound 90 southbound approaching the durand bridge. may have had a traffic break. that is starting to smooth out. 101 slow on that side of the bay. 880 slow toward the dumbarton bridge. the northbound routes through

san jose slow for 101 and 280.

"today. coming up, the world stops to remember. >> his struggle was your struggle. his triumph was your triment uf. >> from world leaders to celebrities to hundreds of thousands of south africans who consider him a father, nelson mandela is honored. >> very big nose from the ice skating champion. and 2013 clips to remember. we're handing out the first orange room award this morning for the most memorable online moment of the year. >> you're my wife? >> today, tuesday december 10th,

2013. ♪ >> stay warm in new york city. >> breaking news, we just got engaged. >> hi to your pamly in wisconsin. >> we love the "today" show. >> you guys have a good day? >> we just met natalie. >> and morning everyone. here in the fluffy white snow. welcome back to "today" in rockefeller plaza. >> it's going to get colder and turn to all snow here? >> it's coming. >> but i feels like christmas and the holidays, it makes it official. >> you need a hat. >> i do. i need to be inside. >> by the way, i think in the background you might be able to hear a little bit of mariah

carey music. tomorrow she's going to open the doors of her home for us and show us how she gets in the spirit. >> you're going to the shoe closet tomorrow. >> yes, size nine. >> tomorrow we're going to reveal times person of the year. let us know who you would pick today.com. will be revealed tomorrow. let's get a check of the top stories of the morning. natalie, good morning again. >> good morning. in south africa this morning, president obama challenged the world to honor nelson mandela by embracing peace. lester is there covering the memorial. good morning. >> reporter: it's gone on fur hours. it fell short at capacity here at the largest stadium in africa.

but there were tens of thousands who braved a rainy sky to come here and offer their greeting to the mandela family. a fellow prisoner who spent time with him spoke and president obama was one of the 91 foreign dick tearies here to pay foreign respects. he got a rising cheer here. he also talked about how south africa and the victories of mandela were their victories as well. his final burial will be on sunday. >> thank you, lester. meantime, millions here in the u.s. are waking up to that snowstorm that is closing schools and disrupting travel. dillon is in potomac. >> reporter: good morning. it's been coming down an inch to

an inch and a half per hour. it started at 6:30 this morning. we have an inch on the ground. this is i-270 behind me. this goes into d.c. and the good news is that all of the area schools have been closed today, same goes for the federal offices in washington, d.c. there is not a lot of traffic to be mentioned in or out of the city right now. that's given the road crews time to clear off the roadways. we've seen several plow trucks and the salters go through. we're not seeing too many problems right now because no one is on the road. that's the good news here from maryland. >> if you can avoid being on the roads, do it. thanks so much. rescuers spent a frigid night in nevada searching for six family members who have been missing since sunday. friends say a couple, their children and relatives drove out to the mountains to play in the

snow. even if the group had cell phones, there is little cell phone coverage in the area. >> miller and ex-girlfriend sarah mccanna will spend time with their nine-month-old son it allows miller to take the child to sochi russia for the olympics. former manager toni la russa, joe torre and bobby cox were elected on monday. bud selig said they brought professionalism that baseball fans admired. >> christmas came early for some airline customers in canada. they set up video booths. passengers were encouraged to

scan their boarding passes and moments later santa appeared on the screen. while the passengers were in the air flying to calgary, the west jet employees rushed to various stores to buy their gifts and labeled them, put them in baggage claim. and the passengers couldn't believe their eyes when they found out that their wishes had been granted. time for a check of the weather and al. >> toad's weather is brought to you by farmer's insurance. at farmer's, the more you know, the better you can plan for what's ahead. get smarter at farmer's.com. >> a lot of folks are going to need patience at the airport. over 1,000 flights have been canceled so far this morning and more probably on the way. i'm going to show you washington, d.c. you can see there in the midst of the snow already it is coming down. we're going to looking at snow.

but then it moves through pretty quickly. by 3:00 it's done. and you can see the system makes its way up into new england pretty quickly. by 8:00 tonight it's off the new england coast but not before dumping about two to five inches of snow. locally some 8:07. we're starting to thaw out, but it's still pretty cold out there. 31 degrees right now in san hose gray. livermore at 29 degrees. our highest today are going to be comfortable. we're going to jump from the 30s and the 20s into the 60s in some cities. more like the mid 50s for today in san jose. 55 degrees. by tomorrow upper 50s, and we're talking about the turn of the low 60s for thursday into friday, and, get this, next week we could get a taste of the 70s. hope you have a fantastic day. and that's your latest weather. >> i'm back. >> coming up next on trending,

are you one of them? the worst types of people to be stuck on an airplane with. and then we have a big announcement as we approach the winter games in sochi from gold medal winner evan lysacek. >> and one man's connection with dogs. but first, these messages. at farmers, we make you smarter about insurance. because what you don't know, can hurt you. what if you didn't know that posting your travel plans online may attract burglars? [woman] off to hawaii! what if you didn't know that as the price of gold rises, so should the coverage on your jewelry? [prospector] ahh! what if you didn't know that kitty litter can help you out of a slippery situation? the more you know, the better you can plan for what's ahead. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum - bum♪

well l adie s, now in controlling your overactive bladder symptoms. the new oxytrol for women patch. the first and only over the counter treatment for overactive bladder. put the control back in your go with new oxytrol for women. now in the feminine care aisle. which is why he's investing in his heart health by eating kellogg's raisin bran®. mom make you eat that? i happen to like raisins. [ male announcer ] invest in your heart health with kellogg's raisin bran®. [ male announcer ] invest in your heart health i'm gonna do this... no... no... no i'm gonna beat you this time.

♪ yes... (laughing) yes!! ♪

which is why he's investing in his heart health by eating kellogg's raisin bran®. mom make you eat that? i happen to like raisins. [ male announcer ] invest in your heart health with kellogg's raisin bran®.

[ male announcer ] rocky had no idea why dawn was gone for so long... ...but he'd wait for her forever, and would always be there with the biggest welcome home. for a love this strong, dawn only feeds him iams.

with 2x the meat of other leading brands... ...to help keep rocky's body as strong as a love that never fades. iams. keep love strong. with 2x the meat. love the iams difference or your money back. we're back at 8:13 and here is what's trending today. what kind of milk are you using in your cereal bowl this morning? >> whole milk. >> whole milk. >> organic. >> skin. >> a lot of people choose organic but you know it's a lot more expensive. it can be $2 to $3 more per gallon. what's the verdict? is it worth it? a new study suggests yes. >> scientists at washington state university looked into this and found out that organic milk contains a better balance of fatty acids that help keep our heart strong. we're talking about omega 3 and

6 here. one professor said all milk is good for us. it's just that organic milk is better. apparently for regular milk they eat a corn based diet and cows for organic milk eat more of a grassy diet that's high in omega 3. >> and then to make chocolate milk they eat coco. >> you waited the whole time for that, didn't you? . good. >> a lot of folks are flying for the holidays and weather delays aren't the only complications out there. making matters worse are fellow flyers. exped expedia.com ranking the most annoying type of flyers. number five, the chatty cathy. >> number four, the boozer. >> only when i'm flying with natalie. >> number three, the aromatic passenger. >> it's not a jimmy buffet

contest. it's a flight. >> the rear seat kicker. and i agree with this the inattentive parent. bravo. >> get it together, people. >> the chatty kathy. >> as long as you're trying to corral your . the kids don't bother me, but the boozing people bother me. >> how about the boozing kids. >> chatty kathy. yeah. >> go figure, you got to be upset with chatty kathy. >> we want to take up all of the time. >> speaking of traveling, want to see how you guys feel about this. if you walked into a really beautiful luxury hotel room, they had bath salts, yoga mats, bath salts, curling earns. >> they got my request. >> maybe it's not a guy's thing but some of these amenities, are

designed for ladies, some chains are even creating woman-only floors with special key access for added security. we like that. one female pilot calls the whole idea a gimmick and somewhat insulting. i like getting the yoga mat. >> and the bath salts. >> they have a lot of it. >> really? >> but i do like the security aspect of it. all right. guys, listen up. we're about to share some of the worst gifts men give to women for the holidays. so, if any of this sounds familiar, it is back to the drawing board for you. here's the list, ready? the first one is a no-brainer. diet books? a vacuum cleaner. not sure who gives that anymore anyway. any appliance is a no-no. high-end scales? right. and worst of all, which i didn't

know this existed until now, santa themed lingerie. >> sure you didn't. >> aren't you wearing it right now? >> hello! yeah. >> that is what is trending today. now to our countdown to sochi, the competition begins in 58 days. evan lysacek, the reigning skating champion, is here to share some news. before we get that. here is his rise to stardom. >> he did everything he came to do. >> reporter: it was a life-long dream realized. >> evan lysacek with the skate of his life. >> reporter: wrapping gold in

vancouver, beating out a favored russian opponent. evan lysacek, always a friend of the "today" show. >> i am. >> reporter: is known for as much as his grace on the ice as his glamour. after the games, he competed on "dancing with the stars." he hit red carpets, and stayed off the ice. but then, two years later, he launched a comeback. >> i hope to fall in the footsteps of our good friend dick button who won back-to-back olympic titles in 1948. i hope to do it. i'm back into full-on training. this is my goal. i'll going live this goal. >> reporter: this t hasn't been the easiest path. now 28 he suffered injuries and has not competed once since the vancouver games. evan lysacek, welcome back, it's always good to have you here. it hasn't been the easiest comeback. i think that's an

understatement. you had a porch of injuries. what is the latest? >> on august, i had an accident on the ice, and i suffered a labral tear in my left hip, which, from the beginning, i was very clear with my doctor, what my goals were to be 100% healthy and prepared for sochi and before that to compete in december in a qualification event. >> you talk about this labral tear. it's a very painful injury for someone who does what you do. the stress and strain on the skater's hips is enormous. >> exactly. if t affects that region of the body very much. but my doctors took an addre aggressive course of action with treatment and physical therapy and we all remained very optimistic. in fact, i had no doubt that i would overcome this just like i had. the other injuries i had throughout my career. i overcome every single one of them. i was back on the ice in october doing light training but as the training intensified, so did the pain and it has become in recent

weeks unmanageable. >> you had to make a decision, obviously. first of all, you can manage the pain. it's not the way you skate your best. there's a competition in ukraine, but you had to take part in to qualify for the olympics. the news is, unfortunately that you won't be in sochi? >> it's very difficult to say that for me, but my road to sochi ends here. a lot of what played into that decision was my doctor warned me, that if i continued to train with 100% certainty, the injury would get worse. the pain would get worse every single day and i would do permanent and severe damage. >> sitting here, you're calm about this. speaking with your representatives, i know this has been an incredibly emotional decision for you. how are you feeling emotionally? >> this has been my whole life.

it's a difficult decision, for sure. >> can i ask you, does this mean you're retiring from the sport? >> right now, my focus has to shift from training to preparing for sochi to getting healthy and trying to heal this injury once and for all. the last several weeks have been so painful for me, that i don't want those to be my last moments on the ice after such a great career. i love to represent my country and i'm determined to be healthy and skate again and really be the one that decides when it's over. >> you talked about the fact in the past you've skated through pain. i think it's important to remind our viewers what is required of a figure skater at your level of competition. you go to the olympics, what are the required jumps that you got to pull off to even be considered? >> the jumps and the fist indicate of this sport are incredible, and i think people don't know that. they think it looks like ballet. but, really, it is among the

most difficult and physical sport in the world. the torque is immense, sometimes up to 100% times your body weight in torque. and the training and discipline it takes are incredible. people expect to be an olympic gold medalist, they have to work hard and be dedicated. the level of sacrifice and discipline, to live that life style, i can't even put into words, it is what i love. i've had some of the best moments of my life representing the united states, which gives me such pride. >> you're the most decorated or were the most decorated hopeful going into sochi for the american team. how was it to break the news for your teammates? >> my entire team has been extremely supportive. my family and friends have been very supportive. my sponsors have been extremely supportive. each one has reached out to me individually and stated that they are behind me. so, undoubtedly, i'm beginning

now just, you know, to come out of shock and start to process this, but i think i'll lean on that team a considerable amount. >> i know you're disappointed, but i want to say you've given us so many amazing moments, evan. and you should be only proud of your record, and we congratulate you for that. all our best. and a reminder, nbc's coverage of the olympic games in sochi begins on february 6th. let's go to savannah. it is awards season in the orange room today. tamryn has that. >> we're handing out, as you guys mentioned, the first ever orange wy for the most memorabl moment. the first is baby who cries when her mom sings. ♪

>> and who can forget this moment. jason's priceless reaction seeing his wife for the first time after waking up from surgery. >> my name is candace. i'm your wife. >> you're my wife? . yeah. >> holy [ bleep ]. >> so who will it be? the envelope, please. >> oh, thank you. oh, no. okay. the winner of the first ever orange room, most memorable moment, 2013, jason and candace! come on in! >> who was ready for that? not me. congratulations, guys. >> thank you.

>> candace, why do you think this resonated so with people? >> he was just so sweet. he said everything that a wife would want to hear, so -- >> does he still say it over and over? >> yeah. every day. >> every day, jason. you wake up and say, you're my wife? you're so hot? >> i wish. >> i know. canda candace, when you were here back in september. you said if he ever forgot this moment or got out of line, you'd play the video and show jason what he really thinks of you. had you had to wipe it out? >> he's been on good behavior. >> it's so sweet. i know you guys also talked about you were in the process of adopting a baby from uganda. >> this has really been a blessing to help us fund the adoption. we're still? n process. it takes to work through that. >> congratulations. best of luck.

>> they will never be known as orangey winners. >> big resume-builder. coming >> good morning. it is 8:26. the ntsb has postponed its hearing into the asiana airlines crash. just about 3:30 this morning the ntsb tweeted today's hearing will be delayed because the government is closed with a snowstorm headed for the nation's capital. the chief pilot and training manager was scheduled to testify along with representatives from boeing, the faa, and the san francisco fire department. the plane crashed whim trying to land at sfo in july killing three teenagers. let's check traffic. here's mike. >> we just heard about a new crash. this is southbound 280 at john daley boulevard. reports of a crash and a car with its hood on fire. this will be a distraction. southbound 101 through san rafael. things are starting to recover. it was very slow down this area

heading towards the bridge. whoops. one map here. getting off of that rich monday san rafael bridge, we have a slow drive west highway 101 on that connector, which is only two lanes. we have one of those lanes blocked by a crash. it's going to take at least a half hour to clear chp and maybe more. slow coming from the east bay over towards the san rafael side, and there's your approach to the bay bridge. not so bad for the east shore free throw freeway. i can reset this map and make them go again. thanks. >> thanks very much. another local news update in half hour. see you then. [ female announcer ] for those who love sweets

your season is here. let's just call it the baking time of year. you need special ingredients. you need the staples for homemade. you need safeway sugar for just a buck eighty-eight. and that magic thing that makes everyone want another only two ninety-nine for challenge butter. and when hands get messy, quite surely they'll say, yum! wow! yay! what a sweeter holiday. safeway. ingredients for life.

8:30 now on this tuesday morning. it is the 10th of december, 2013. and we are out here on a rainy, snowy, combo platter of a rockefeller plaza. >> that's right. we have miranda cosgrove and adorable minions on the plaza. they're helping collect toys for

our 20th annual holiday toy drive. if you would like to contribute and you're not coming down to rockefeller plaza, you can do so by checking us out at today.com. >> of course the reason we have the minions here is because despicable me 2, one of your favorites, isn't it al? >> love it. >> where is miranda. let's see if we can chat with her about that. >> hey, miranda. how are you? >> nice to see you. >> hi. >> nice to see you too. >> are you looking forward to the day when the minions don't follow you everywhere? >> i see them everywhere. >> in your sleep and everywhere. >> you of course were the voice of the oldest daughter in despicable me 2. you're also a college student. how is that going? >> it's going well. i jus finished my second year at usc. >> is there talk of despicable me 3? this is my kid's favorite of all time. >> i'm sure they're going to do

a 3 and minions movie. >> did you have any idea this thing would blow up the way it did? >> i didn't. i remember the first time i heard the crazy voice steve carrell does for gru and i thought kids would love it. >> and $900 million at the box office. you were so smart to take 20% on the back end of that. that was so smart miranda. >> thank you. >> really well done. >> great to see you here. remind everybody that despicable me 2 is back later now. you'll be back with kathie lee and hoda. >> yeah. >> they'll let you come inside. >> thank you guys. nice to see you. >> bye buy. >> meantime, we have some of the most talented golfers in studio this morning, right? >> from all over the world. >> these are the elite young golfers in the world. these are the names you'll be hearing about in the coming years on the professional tour. >> very cool. >> but first, mr. roker, how

about a check of the weather and all of this snow? natalie has me blocked out here. >> getting dangerous. let's show you what we've got going on. again, you can see most of the activity is all centered in the northeast. as we head to new york city, and you'll see the plaza here, we have a mix of rain changing to snow. it will be a quick couple of inches coming on in here. for today we look for wet weather here in the southeast and then snow in the northeast. cloudy conditions and cold in the pacific northwest. windy through southern california. tomorrow mild out west. we're looking at snow around the great lakes. in fact, we're looking for lake effect snow. some areas in the eastern great lakes and upstate new york from buffalo up into >> 8:33. good tuesday morning to you. happy to report we have made it to the end of the cold snap. want to show you oakland.

nice clear sky here. it's a little hazy. it is a spare the air day, but temperatures are going to climb out of the 30s where we are right now all across the board into the mid 50s. a nice looking second half of the day headed our way. about 54 degrees in the east bay. san francisco about 55 degrees. good news is if you are looking for a warmup, we've got it for you. starting tomorrow. up to 58 degrees. 60s come in for thursday and friday. you want to make sure you check the weather channel two or three or four times a day. go to your computer, smartphone, ipad and check it out on weather.com or the app. >> time now for more of the 12 days of christmas. life style contributor to share the honors with us. you are the best elf in the house. time for gift number four and five. >> daily double. we have an ornament here four to symbolize that day and five as well. today is toy tuesday. so i've got two great deals for you. the first this is teddy bear.

it's a 3 foot, it's called the little hunk of love. it's from the vermont teddy bear company. it usually retails for 89.99 but today show viewers for 24 hours only can get it for $27. it is a 70% savings. what they say at the company is its a gift from 1 to 99. it's good for everybody. >> still a lot of time to get it delivered for christmas, which is great. >> absolutely. >> you have a second toy bargain. >> the second one is we have billy and dylan here. dylan is modeling the radio flyer. he can spin around. it goes 360 degrees. it's great from 1 1/2 to 5. it retails for 21.99 but you can get it for 8.99. >> that's a great deal. >> it's 70% off. you have to go to today.com to get these special codes to go -- that will click you through to the websites and you can get these deals for 24 hours.

>> elizabeth, thank you very much. you'll be back with more of our 12 days of christmas. thank you so much. he is sticking his tongue out catching snow flakes. >> it's fun. >> let's go to savannah. 10 years ago he was crowned the winner of american idol and launched a successful singing career and he's with us as the latest competitor to head home on nbc's the biggest loser. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i know you from american idol. i have been a fan all of these years. what made you feel like you wanted to do another reality show and this one. >> the opportunity presented itself and it was time for me to make a change. i was about to turn 35 and i was just afraid that some of the things that affected some people that are really close to me would affect me and i most definitely don't want to leave here early things that i can prevent. >> you learned that you had diabetes. >> most definitely.

that was really tough learn. but, you know, i'm glad that i went there because you can walk around every day and feel completely healthy and be completely unhealthy at the same time and to get that diagnosis was hard but i'm doing what have to do to combat it. it's been an amazing journey so far. >> how much did you lose on the ranch and how much have you lost now? >> i lost on the ranch about 70 pounds. now i have lost about 112 pounds. >> wow. >> what's your goal. >> wow, look at that. >> wow, that's great. >> yeah. >> what do you have to do at home to maintain that? >> i workout every morning. i had to get up this morning at 5:00 and do it and then wait on the elevator for 15 minutes. but i have to make it a part of my life every day and make sure that i get it in. i want to be able to be around and perform my great music. i have a new album coming up february 4th. david foster has agreed to produce my next album. >> doesn't he say you're the

next luther vandross? >> he does say that. >> i always wanted to sing with him. and now i get a chance to do that. >> we're looking forward to the new music. you look great. >> happy holidays to you, thank you. >> same to you. >> you can catch the bigger loser right here on nbc. let's check back in with tamron. >> we just crowned our award winner for this year's most memorable online moment but another choice that received a lot of votes was this one. take a look. >> is that real? >> yes. >> is that real? >> yes. [ crying ] >> thank you so much for joining us. that just brings so much joy.

it's amazing. why do you think that resinates so with people? >> i think it just shows how incredible it is to be a parent. and what is amazing is every parent wants their child to do well. and i was just overwhelmed. >> overwhelmed, indeed. you're smiling here ear to ear. as a kid you're thrilled when your parent is proud. as much as they want to see you succeed, you want to make them proud. >> every child wants to make their dad proud and when you see that kind of reaction, you know they are. it makes you feel really good. >> how do you top that? what's next? i know you want to be a chef. so what are you going to do next to follow that act? >> i think my restaurant. >> well, we are so happy. you're visiting new york for the first time. well, listen, our fans loved

you. you were a fan favorite. can't wait to dine at your restaurant when you're all done. >> thank you very much for your hospitality. we are delighted. >> such a pleasure to meet you both. up next savannah, you have a lot. >> we love your laugh. >> it needs to be a ringtone. >> i know. >> you are both just charming thank you so much. >> thank you. >> coming up next, the police officer who turns rescue dogs into crime fighters. and still looking for holiday gift ideas? martha stewart's favorite homemade treats. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

it's really snowing outside on the plaza. more to come of that. we're back at 8:42 with the story about a man that has a remarkable gift when it comes to dogs. stephanie gosk is here with that story. >> good morning. it's not easy training dogs to be crime fighters.

even when handlers start with puppies and rescue dogs are harder. he gets his partners at the pound and says the extra effort is totally worth it. ruby is one of rhode island's finest. a search and rescue dog. determined. but she lucky to be here. vets were just hours from putting her down when matt rescued her. >> i wanted to take a dog that didn't have a shot that i know fi can do the work. it's a matter of motivation. >> reporter: in a year ruby went from stealing pizza in the break room to solving cases. a former marine and life long dog lover has what some of his colleagues describe as a super natural connection with dogs. combined with the desire to help his fellow humans. >> it's a connection you have

with someone you don't even know but you're both human beings and you both deserve that respect and deserve that opportunity to be found. >> reporter: the team started off small, just him and a dog he trained himself. in 1992 a high school boy went missing in the words. after a 24 hour search, the police were stumped. his dog found the boy in less than an hour. >> i climbed up and over and i looked down and he was in between the rocks. >> reporter: his expertise with dogs quickly moved beyond the rhode island border. the dea used him for a case in columbia. the fbi and even the defense department came knocking. he spent a month in vietnam searching for the remains of mia soldiers. >> fragments the size of your fingernail. just an amazing accomplishment by the dogs. >> reporter: he was in the pound weeks before he ended up on this chopper halfway around the

world. he and his dogs caught the eye of a local documentary film maker, a 90 minute movie reliant is in it's final stages of production. >> i feel like it's the ultimate second chance story. here are these dogs that were disgua d discarded and now they can save people. >> reporter: with the person that saved them never far behind. one of the tricks were training dogs is staying positive. we spent a day with him. he is one of the most energetic upbeat guys i have ever met. it has to be the trick to what he done so well. >> amazing. >> stephanie, thank you very much. >> coming up next, if you really want to impress your friends this holiday season, call martha. she is here with homemade gift ideas and they're not that hard. >> and we'll get a lesson from some of the best young golfers in the world. they'll take us to school. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

martha on today is brought to you by macy's. >> back with martha on today. this morning, edible goodies you can make for your loved ones. martha is here with tasty ideas from the december issue of martha stewart living. >> good morning. >> i love the idea of bringing a gift you made because it's thoughtful but this isn't stuff only martha can do. >> no, you can do this professor. these are candies and sweets you can make for the teachers, for the postman, for the paper delivery boy. >> hos tess gifts. >> great gifts. >> you can use peanuts, you can use cashews, you can use almonds and the syrup is very, very easy. it's just a sugar, baking soda.

i'll add the vanilla first. and we cooked this to 238 degrees. >> okay. >> and use the candy thermometer. a little bit of baking soda which is what lightens the whole thing up and then peanuts. >> see how beautiful. >> yeah. >> that's your brittle. >> smells amazing too. >> and then this goes into a cookie sheet. you can break that one. that one is already cooled. >> then you break it up. >> not too hard. >> sorry. >> it's just so fun. i'm getting out my aggression. >> oh, you have aggression. >> no, but that was it. >> that is great and then spread this. spread that. don't touch this, it's very hot. and then the next thing is having you already decided. >> let's go to the neck one. >> okay. and then this either -- it's a bark, either white chocolate or dark chocolate. >> love it.

so you can pour that into a prepared pan. it's sprayed with a vegetable spray and then parchment paper. >> okay. >> and you have a double bowlil thing going here. >> yeah. pour this right on to your parchment paper. this is very easy. >> this is really easy. >> and then you can embellish. this is just melted chocolate. it's called bark. and they sell this for a lot of money. so use a good quality chocolate. light or dark. now you can let this harden and then add the white chocolate on top of it which would give you a double layer or you can do it in a single layer and then look at the great toppings. you can choose what you would like to put in yours? raisins. >> peppermint. >> you can do it while it's hot. >> i'm going to do pistachios. >> do you do the whole pretzels?

or break them up a little bit? >> you could but i'm going to do pistachios and orange peel and you can break it into little pieces. >> do you put it in the refrigerator? >> no. just let it harden. >> i was freelancing. okay. we have 30 seconds. let me about this. >> so this is popcorn balls. it's marshmallows, butter, and brown sugar. that's all it s. turn this off and then pour your popcorn right into here. freshly popped popcorn. >> absolutely. >> and then you have to have buttered hands. we embellish this. this is what is special. cho chopped up toffee and cranberry. >> make it into popcorn balls. >> of course. >> those are the popcorn balls. do you want to taste? >> yes. >> i want to show. >> look how beautiful. all of this packaging. you can find them at the craft

store and decorating store but so pretty. all of these. >> it makes it look absolutely fabulous. >> all your gifts are made. >> thank you. they are made and beautiful too. thank you so much. you can find these ideas on today.com. i'm going to eat this. coming up next, we're going to tee it up against pint sized golf prodigies but first this is "tod in a perfect world every man would look like john stamos. wow! wow! and in a perfect world, what's delicious would be healthy too. wish granted. dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt.

this really is too good to be true! dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt. ♪ dannon.

golf is a wonderful game. as i learned it can take a long time to play well but don't tell that to some of the most talented young golfers in the world. some of them as young as seven years old. their quest for greatness is featured in a document tear called the short game and we have four of the players with us. good morning to all of you. nice to see you. let's start with you alexa. how old were you when you started to play golf? >> i started playing golf when i was about four -- about to turn five. >> and now you're nine. >> yes. >> is it your goal to be a professional golfer? >> absolutely. i know if i work hard enough i will become a pro golfer when i'm older. >> you're nine years old as well. is that your dream as well? >> yes, i definitely want to be on the lpga. >> why golf? a lot of kids your age are playing soccer and baseball and softball, why golf? >> it's just a fun game and i love to compete and i just love to see all the cool places.

>> how do you balance? how do you balance being a kid and wanting to do a lot of the things that other kids are doing and all the practice you have to put in to being the best you can be at this game? >> well, definitely you have to pick one decision if you want to play around and not succeed when you're older, if you want to practice hard and succeed when you're older. >> do you drive yourself? i mean, to force yourself to play or do you have coaches and parent who is are really helping push you? >> well, i force myself to play the game because i love it and i shouldn't even be forced because i love to play it by myself. even if i'm not forced to do it. >> and how do you handle pressure? how do you handle the pressure of competition at such a young age? does it ever get to you. >> no, not really. >> you're kind of a calm guy aren't you? >> yes. >> what do you like most about the game of golf? >> i like it because i love the

short game. >> you love the short game. >> yeah. >> which is perfect for the documentary. savannah come in here. they have handled pressure at the highest level of world competition but we're going to find out if in a little while they can handle the pressure of putting off against two weekend warriors. >> i know. i'm on alexa and good morning. it is 8:56. i'm terry mcsweeney. the breaking news is going on in oakland. an underground gas line is on fire. this is happening near the intersection of golf links road and fontaine street west of interstate 580. there are vakzs in the immediate neighborhood. oakland police had the area blocked off. we have a crew headed to the scene. we'll bring you more information as it comes into our newsroom. right now let's check the

forecast. here's christina. >> hey, good morning to you. good morning to you at home. want to start with the live picture of oakland. you can see a hazy sky here. temps in the 30s and 40s. we're headed towards the 50s later on today. it is going to be cold out there. i'm happy to report a warmup headed our way. especially as you get to the end of the week. finally a return to the 60s. looking good for friday. 61 in san jose.

to those who've waited... worried... poked and prodded... taken risks... and lived in a state of "what if?"... welcome to a new state... of health. welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage. financial help for those in need. and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll now at coveredca.com or call 1-800-752-6631.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, and willie geist. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to today on this wintry mix of a tuesday morning, december 10th, 2013. i'm willie geist along with al roker and natalie morales. >> perfect golf weather. >> it maybe snowing outside but we're golfing inside. matt and savannah taking on the prodigies from the netflix program "the short game." these are the future stars of the lpga and pga tours. >> nice one matt. >> what's the saying? drive for show. >> so close.

>> came out a little hot off the putter. >> these are amazing kids. starting at such a young -- they're only like nine or ten right now. >> and a great fashion sense. >> that's all over the tour these days. >> well done. check it out on netflix, though. short game if you get a chance. >> the weather happening not just here but up and down the coast and across the country, the big story around the world is the nelson mandela memorial. 91 world leaders along with tens of thousands of south africans honoring nelson mandela in a big stadium ceremony. there were dancing and tributes and songs. >> a celebration of his life which was great to see. >> it was. the crowd joined a choir to sing the anthems of south africa. to begin the ceremonies, president obama eventually took the podium and spoke for 20 minutes. obviously this was a personal relationship to him. a guy that inspired him to get into public service. here's the president earlier this morning. >> we will never see the life of nelson mandela again.

but let me say to the young people of africa and the young people around the world, you too can make his life worth your own. over 30 years ago, while still a student, i learned of nelson mandela and the struggle taking place in this beautiful land. and it stirred something in me. it woke me up to my responsibilities to others and to myself and it sent me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. and while i will always fall short of madiba's example, he makes me want to be a better man. >> and you hope that that sentiment continues even in his death now. that people continue to be inspired by his legacy and continue to want to do better

for your people and for your country. >> and as the president was walking up to the podium, castro was there and they actually shook hands. >> sworn enemies. >> already hearing about this in many circles of american culture. you can expect to hear about it the next several days. the president shaking the hand of raul castro but you look through the crowd and it's remarkable what a reflection of the life of mandela is. president clinton and george w. bush and clinton, you can imagine what that flight must have been like. >> a lot of cards. >> do you think they avoided political talks? >> you probably knock around a few things. >> i wonder what they eat on the flight. >> they eat well. they don't get the bag of peanuts. >> the biscof. you know they give out the presidential m&ms. >> it would be funny if they had a flight attendant that came by the president with a little

basket. >> yeah. >> a little bottle of water. it was an amazing ceremony. really moving. if you weren't up early enough to see it you should go online and check out clips. >> absolutely. >> speaking of the president, the white house put out it's holiday card. interesting because no trace of the family. it's kind of a pop up card, you see the white house. >> it's beautiful. >> and the two dogs. the card reads as we gather around the season may the warmth and joy of the holidays fill your home. signed by the president, the first lady and sash a&ma and me. >> this is the third year they had done it with the dogs. first year was bo and now he has to share the spotlight in the last year. >> do you show the full family? do you do kids or put the dog in. >> i forgot what we did. >> did you put out a holiday card? >> no, it's on the way. >> no, we actually did a

valentine's day card because we were so far behind. >> it's hard now. especially with the short turn around. get the tree, holiday cards. >> i always got this issue. i try to set up a photo shoot and then i get such push back from everybody that i say, you know what, forget it. >> forget about it. >> we'll photo shop you in. >> we take different photos throughout the year. including the dog. >> we just take the kids. we don't set up a shoot. we just take the best picture from the year and go through the photographs. there's these easy websites now where we can upload a photograph. >> they make it so easy now. >> why did we put that up now. that's me in about 1982. >> oh my gosh. that's me and my sister. >> george looks a lot like you. >> definitely. >> look how happy my sister looks. >> this is that awkward family photo website. >> i think we use that for our awkward family photo segment. >> we can't stand each other.

>> yes. >> this is terrible. >> santa better bring me something good. >> what do we have here now? >> that's me. >> is that you? >> yes, the bright yellow. 1970 circa pants. >> with the mall santa? >> yes. >> we have a much more beautiful and less awkward and wonderful card to tell you about. cards pouring in for a seven-year-old girl that felt like she was left out at school. she lives in indiana and has a disorder that can cause tumors and autism-like symptoms. she was feeling left out at school. her mom picked up on that. she was watching other kids get invitations to a birthday party and asked herself why doesn't anyone ever give me cards. she asked her mother that. so her mom logged on to a non-profit website that matches up families in need with people that want to help. so in her entry, the mother simply appeared for people to send cards to her daughter,

that's all she wanted. there are some thijs money cannot buy and that's feeling that you're loved and accepted. that's all i want for my baby girl. >> and the cards came flooding. they came flooding in for this sweet little girl. >> we wanted to ask you if you want to send gabby a card log on to our website today.com and we'll give you information on how you can send her a card as well so add to her selection. you can see how much that smile means to her holding up those cards. >> oh my gosh. >> love that story. >> the funny thing is a lot of schools now the policy is -- >> everybody gets a card. >> if you invite one kid to a party, you have to invite everybody. >> or do it privately. >> take it out of the school. don't have the cards at school. >> exactly. >> which i think is a good policy to have. >> how come i'm not getting any cards. >> schools can't enforce all of those poll gattis. >> go to today.com and send gabby a card. >> this is an incredible promotional tool that works. >> this is like flying in

canada. >> apparently so. >> got the great bacon. >> got it all. west jet, acanadian based airline wanted to do something special for its passengers. you're about to see real surprise for passengers aboard two flights that came out of toronto. they asked passengers at the gate to submit their holiday wish list to a virtual santa before their flight took off. >> there's a guy -- some were like i wanted a big screen tv and others were like i wanted a new car and another guy was like underwear and socks. >> and west jet gets the request. almost immediately 150 volunteer employees at the destination run out to buy the items, wrap them and deliver them personalized at the destination airport. they were then delivered on the baggage carousel. check it out. >> you can imagine their surprise.

>> no way. >> west jet's colors are purple and blue. that's why santa is. >> the time it took to get to toronto, the destination, they got all the gifts. >> that's impressive. >> that is. american airlines could learn a little bit from that, right. >> by american airlines, you mean all american airlines. from this country. >> it could be any airline. that's just a good example. >> a u.s. airline. >> that's what you meant. >> a u.s. airline. >> do you want to see if delta

or somebody gets it for you. >> world peace? >> that would be able to come down the carousel. world peace and then it turns out it's a basketball player. let's show you what's going on. if you're here in the northeast, you know we're already looking at snow from new york city all the way down to our nation's capitol washington d.c. the good news about this system, it's going to be moving through pretty quickly. by 3:00, partly cloudy skies, 33 degrees and this system just races up i-95 and off the new england coast. so by tonight at 8:00, the snow is over. we're looking at generally 2 to 5 inches of snow into the mid-atlantic states. new england, here in new york and upstate new york about 1 to 2 inches of snow. other area we're watching as this system departs, it brings cold air across the warmer waters of the great lakes. so between eerie and buffalo, we're going to be looking at a pretty descent amount of snow.

about 9 to 12 inches from eerie to buffalo and theig is loser, depending on how you feel about it, we call this the tug hill plateau. up to 18 inches of snow over the next 48 . >> 9:11. thank you, al. happy tuesday to you. temperatures right now are climbing into the upper 30s and low 40s. we're done with the freezing cold. at least for today. as we head throughout tonight, temperatures are going to drop yet again. it will end up tloo to five degrees milder as we get into this evening. our camera is shaking. a little over san francisco. winds are picking up. an area of low pressure will come through and bring about additional cloud cover as we head throughout the day today. 53 on the way to foster city. 52 in oakland for today. that's your latest weather. >> thanks a lot. coming up next, giving to charity over the holidays. we'll help you understand where your money is going before you write that check. it's right after this. ♪

hey, that's the last crescent! oh, did you want it? yeah. we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light, buttery and flakey. that's half. that's not half! guys, i have more. thanks, mom. [ female announcer ] do you have enough pillsbury crescents? no, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini delivers fast craving relief in just 3 minutes. double your chances of quitting with nicorette mini.

in just 3 minutes. we'rone bite at a timeness with olive garden's new "tastes and toasts of italy" a festive menu of small plate appetizers, 4 dollars each, weekdays until 6pm. pair 'em with wine, beverages and friends at olive garden. [ whistling wind ] don't worry, santa will find us. ♪ [ female announcer ] this christmas, light santa's way with the hallmark santa signal ornament. only available at hallmark gold crown stores. bill: boy, oh, boy.s penguin! santa signal ornament. ja: yay! now what do you think he's got in that gift box, bill? bill: hopefully a present for my wife! jane: oh, no... bill: yea... catch the great ritz holiday parade across the web, for deals, recipes, and festive fun. it all starts at ritzparade.com.

prefer the taste of gevalia house blend over the taste of starbucks house blend? not that we like tooting our own horn but... ♪ toot toot. [ male announcer ] find gevalia in the coffee aisle or at gevalia.com try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ stay in the groove with align. waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week. one week? that's just my speed. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena®.

>> it's the time of year when a lot of us donate to our favorite charities and get solicitations from a lot of others. >> you need to do your homework to find out where that money is going and whether or not it's legit. >> she is a personal finances expert and host of financially fit on yahoo! >> good morning. >> we're getting the mailings right now and phone calls right now. this is when they tend to ramp up the asks. when you identify the charity you think you want to give to, how do you know it's the right one for you. >> a good question. first a few steps, make sure it is approved by the irs. go to a great website. they have all of the background checks on these organizations to make sure they're tax-exempt and then make sure that it's a sound charity. that the money it collects a

good portion of it actually goes to the mission, to the services and to the programs that it promises. 75% or more for every dollar is a good benchmark. >> you do this, due diligence, once you do this and all the charities there are out there, thousands of them. which ones do you find or have you found that are really pretty good. >> so a set back to really vet these charities, you want to go online and use the power of the internet. so sites, charity navigator, the bbb, the better business bureau. charity watch.org. all of these sites really vet these charities so that you can get a really good comprehensive understanding of where is the money going? is this a legitimate charity. the ones we found that got a plus ratings, four stars and bbb accreditation including the boys and girls club of america. it's a national organization with local chapters helping boys

and girls find safe and productive places to be after school. >> great organization. >> right. safe the children. another children's organization. international has locations in over 100 countries and their mission is to really help children and their families in times of crisis. so giving them food and aid and education literacy when poverty strikes or disaster. >> there's a couple of others. >> international rescue committee. an international organization. their mission is to help people like refugees that have to escape their homeland. anyone stricken with poverty who has a crisis after a hurricane or earthquake and over 90% of every dollar that they receive actually goes to those missions. >> earth works is another one. this is an environmental organization. they are dedicated to clean water, corporate accountability and healthy communities. and the last one we all know is the michael j. fox foundation for parkinson's research.

they have been around for over ten years. they raised close to $115 million toward parkinson's research and, again, 90 cents or more per dollar toward the foundation. >> how do you know that $90 cents per dollar? do they advertise? are they saying we donate 90% of the funds to the actual cause? >> the charities should be transparent about how their money gets allocated. i check out all of these websites. there's a link you can go and find it. if you can't find it right away, charity navigator.org is a great site that will let you search for the charity and tell you right away how much goes per dollar. >> and save your receipts for your tax reduction. >> you want to make money. this is a great cost for everybody. >> all right. thank you so much. coming up next, i'm going to catch you up on all the news you need to start your day. >> plus the incredible transformation of a celebrity chef who got tired of being heavy and decided to just get in shape. >> his story will inspire you. right after this

[ bell rings ] [ man ] take five!

hey, joyce! [ grunts ] you really seem to be dragging your a-- [ donkey brays ] mid morning slump. [ donkey snorts ] that's why i started drinking this new lipton natural energy tea. come on! it's naturally has more caffeine and theanine than regular lipton. here. you'll thank me. mmmm... tastes amazing, right? i feel better already. [ donkey brays ] [ man ] two minutes! tea time. [ female announcer ] for a little oomph, try new lipton natural energy tea. [ donkey brays ] i think we both are clean freaks. i used to scrub the floor on my knees. [ daughter ] i've mastered the art of foot cleaning. oh, boy. oh, boy. oh, boy. [ carmel ] that drives me nuts. it gives me anxiety just thinking about how crazy they get.

[ doorbell rings ] [ daughter ] oh, wow. [ carmel ] swiffer wetjet. you guys should try this. it's so easy. oh, my. [ gasps ] i just washed this floor. if i didn't see it i wouldn't believe it. [ carmel ] it did my heart good to see you cleaning. [ regina ] yeah, your generation has all the good stuff. [ daughter ] oh, yeah. [ regina ] yeah, your generation has all the good stuff. wout of landfills each year? plastic waste to cover mt. rainier by using one less trash bag each month, we can. and glad forceflex bags stretch until they're full.* so you can take them out less often. and better is so easy withrning you cabenefiber.o something better for yourself. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber.

it's not the "limit the cash i earn every month" card. it's not the "i only earn decent rewards at the gas station" card. it's the no-games, no-signing up, everyday-rewarding, kung-fu-fighting, silver-lightning-in-a-bottle, bringing-home-the-bacon cash back card. this is the quicksilver card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere, every single day. so ask yourself, what's in your wallet? taking a look at the headlines, a big meet and poultry recall to tell you about this morning involving a colorado based company and rodents. 90,000 pounds of meat and poultry were produced under unsanitary conditions that included rodent activity in area where is the food was produced and stored. the products were sold in

colorado, nebraska, new mexico, utah and wyoming. >> organic cows milk really is healthier than conventional milk. the study at washington state university look at over 400 samples of milks and organic milk contains more heart healthy fatty acids than regular milk. when you feed dairy cows more grass you increase the protein level. bottom line, organic milk does the body good. a recall of push button devices supposed to call for help when you need it. almost 50,000 reporting system transmitters are being recalled because they may not work when they're needed most. the problem is the battery clips inside the transmitter can corrode causing them to work intermittently or not at all. if you have one of these devices log on to the website to get a replacement. the u.s. government is now out of the gm car business. the treasury department sold the

final shares the government received in 2008 and 2009. they lost more than $10,000,000 on the bill but the alternative would have been worse. >> and a shake up at lululemon. he came under fire for saying some women's bodies just don't actually work for their pants. well, the comments followed complaints for women earlier this year that some yoga pants were so sheer they were see through at times. >> the steps made famous in the movie rocky inspired a different kind of show during the weekend snowstorm as you can see there. all of these all terrain vehicles road down the steps at philadelphia museum of art. some drivers even turning donuts there as they reached the bottom. but as amusing as it might seem, driving on the stairs is illegal and it can damage the landmarks. get those vehicles off the

premises now. >> it's all fun and games until something happens on one of those things. >> don't take down the rocky stat [ female announcer ] now your most dazzling accessory can be your smile. colgate optic white dual action shines and whitens over 2 shades more than a leading whitening toothpaste. and whiten even more, with optic white mouthwash and the whole colgate optic white line. he loves me. he loves me not. he loves me. he loves me not. ♪

he loves me! that's right. [ mom ] warm and flaky in 15, everyone loves pillsbury grands! [ girl ] make dinner pop! good morning. it is 9:26. i'm terri mcsweeney. an update to the breaking news out of oakland. taking a look from our chopper above the scene from an underlying gas line fire. this is from golf links road and fontaine street. this is just west of interstate 580. there are evacuations in the immediate neighborhood. six homes in total to this point. we just got off the phone with nearby bishop o'down high school. we are told the principal is aware of the situation and is seeing if an evacuation is necessary, but has not called one yet. we have a crew headed to the scene, and we'll bring you more information as it comes into our newsroom. as you see, the flames coming right up out of the street from the underground gas that is burning. the ntsb has postponed it's

hearing into the asiana airlines crash. they tweeted today's hearing will be delayed because of a snowstorm headed for the nation's capital. the pilot and training manager were scheduled to testify along with representatives from boeing, the faa, and the san francisco fire department. the plane crashed while trying to land at sfo in july killing three teenagers. we'll take a break and come back with weather and traffic for you.

>> welcome back. 9:28. the sky is hazy from high atop san bruno mountain. it's a spare the air day, and that could be the case every single day this week. air quality doesn't look to be improving any time soon. we do have a big ridge of high pressure that will keep our temperatures a touch milder for today. it's the rich that will keep the air mass stagnant. that's why we're sparing the air. 53 in pleasanton. 49 in san ramon with a warming trend starting around the corner. mid 50 stz.

here in san jose, mid 60s come in thursday and friday. here's mike and your morning drive. >> traffic tuesday -- we're looking over here towards oakland. smooth flow. look at the video. we're talking about a closure from the gas line fire under the roadway golf links road at fontaine street. this is just west of 580. 580 itself moves slowly. a little slow into the oakland area, and not far from there, lafayette, we have word that there's a hazmat team investigating a suspicious package. back to you. >> mike, thanks a lot. more news in half hour. see you then.

welcome back. i'm al roker with natalie morales. >> cold, though. >> it's a little chilly. >> do you know what would warm you up? >> going to rio. >> yeah, in april. >> but it's going to be huge. >> not just because of the super stars, not just because jamie foxx and the others. >> anne hathaway. >> this one is in it. natalie morales making her animated debut. check this out. >> it's a good thing since i'm the only other one. >> important discovery. >> we have encountered a wild blue ma kaw deep in the amazon

jungle. >> there maybe a whole flock out there. >> we have to go find them. >> we? what you talking about we? you speak french. >> that wasn't you. >> i am the newscaster. you saw me briefly. i play myself, the newscaster. >> there you are. you nailed it. >> i have never seen you wear pearls. >> i wear pearls occasionally. >> i don't think your forehead is that high. >> and i don't think you're black. >> well, i think she is in between. >> okay. >> so that comes out in april. rio 2. al, of course among many others. >> cloudy with a chance of meatballs. >> yes. >> it looks like a food storm involving an unusual pattern and it's now spreading to the rest of the globe. what the what? >> you look like matt there. >> i look like matt. that's right. they actually wanted matt and he couldn't show so i did the voice. >> did the animation. >> your turn.

>> we want to campaign for willie. >> see i was told by our producer that you never wanted to do an animated cartoon. >> that's not true even in the least. >> why? >> i was was the news man in the campaign with will ferrell. >> you told me? >> that was not an animated movie. >> you told me. >> you were in the campaign. >> i was in the campaign with will ferrell. matt, are you just making stuff up now? >> i'm just trying to stir things, you know. >> never wanted to be in an animated movie. >> why wouldn't i have? >> i'm going to get you. >> let's settle this. if you want to get willie animated as we all do, #orange room get willie animated hashtag. >> i can't believe a word you're telling me anymore in the briefing. >> he made that up. >> stir the pot. >> we're going to stir your pot. >> how about a check of the weather if you're not too angry. >> i'm coming after you.

we're looking at snow making its way from new england all the way back into baltimore. as you look at that you are tower camera, you can barely see what's going on. some areas in baltimore are already picking up three inches of snow. we're going to be looking at wet weather in the southeast. one more day of rain there. snow in the northeast. lake effect snow also setting up. we're also looking for plenty of sunshine but windy down through southern california. storm, mild, sunny there. we're looking for more snow around the great lakes. lake effect snow eastern great lakes. sunny and warm down through 9:33. good tuesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. temperatures right now in the 40s and upper 30s, so we're climbing nicely. want to show you oakland where we do have a hazy sky overhead. it is a spare the air day, but i'm happy to report our temperature is overnight going to be a lot more comfortable as we head through the next few days. climbing into the 40s. finally back to average as we get into your friday. that's the good news. highs today are going to be a little on the chilly side.

53 for foster city. midmarket, 52 degrees. we're looking at 52 in fremont today. that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. one, as one of the country's top chefs his life is all about food but after tipping the scales at 400 pounds he knew he had to do something. >> he was thinking about weight loss surgery and last july decided to do it. he dropped 130 pounds completely changing his eetding habits and life style. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> looking great. amazing transformation. >> appreciate it. >> we just saw the before and after. what was it? everybody has that moment that says, you know what, i've tried everything, i have to do something drastic? >> mine was having my third boy. i have a 6, 3, and 1-year-old and seeing them play and run around and the fact that i couldn't get down on the ground and roll around and play with them. i couldn't go to the park and play tag, do any of those things, i just realized that it wasn't about me anymore. it wasn't just how i looked or

anything else but being healthy for me family was what was the trigger. >> so you decided to take the route of going for the surgery but you had -- i understand your stomach is the side of the banana. >> right, they he eliminated 85% of your stomach in the part that makes you feel hungry all the time. >> now i can still eat everything and try everything. i can still be a chef and do what i do. >> how does this change your life? >> just in the last five months 130 pounds i can tie my shoes and get in the car without having to hold my breath before i get in. i can put my arms around my wife. >> don't have to get an extender on the airplane. >> that's one of biggest. >> al that was one of your moments. >> all of those kind of things, the small things that every second remind you that you're overweight and you feel bad about yourself and you eat more. it's a whole cycle. >> but with you, part of your success with that big jovial

chef personality. so in a way, that's part of who they expect you to be. >> right. >> well, what i think was great is that you get even more of that from me now because i'm that much more positive. i'm a very outgoing happy person. i have great friends, family, and opportunity to be on the show and to be a chef and do what i love. so it's great. >> now, as a chef, you're surrounded by unbelievable food. >> this is what you used to eat. >> you used to eat. 2:00 a.m. snacks with a cheeseburger. >> you get out of work and scarf down a bunch of those. >> i would scarf these down at 2:00 a.m. too. >> wow, big bowl of ice cream. now i can either eat one of these or a double portion of that and it takes longer to eat but you enjoy it and stay focused on protein and that allows you have to have the energy to run and be healthy and start that healthy life style. >> and before -- i'm sure you were a lot like me, you made excuses why you couldn't. >> you justified everything. >> and especially with your life style.

with the chef life style it's not easy but you're making the time now. >> absolutely. you accept this character. i'm a big guy. i'm a chef, no one trusts a skinny chef and then you get to the point where i don't care about that, ego, anything. i need to make the choice whether it's surgery, i tried the trainers or the gym. i have to do this now. >> lifestyle change for sure. great job. thank you. >> all right. well, coming up next, one woman bringing big smiles to kids and christmas cheer. bringing big smiles to kids and christmas cheer. ri this holiday we're and putting down phones. we're raising our glasses and lifting our spirits. here, the hottest gift is a fresh baked breadstick. heartwarming new recipes are coming right out of the oven and we're touring the classics of italy without leaving the table. at olive garden, the best holiday gift is being together. so join us! cause we're all family here. get together for unlimited soup, salad & breadsticks lunch just $6.99.

a 3d white smile with crest 3d white toothpaste. it removes up to 90% of surface stains in just 5 days. unleash your smile with crest 3d white toothpaste. life opens up with a whiter smile. eat right, not less. [ woman ] hi, this looks interesting! would you like to try some hot cereal? [ women ] sure! [ female announcer ] introducing special k nourish hot cereal. special k? wow! wow! [ female announcer ] made with superfoods... i can definitely taste the quinoa. i can't believe that's less than 200 calories. [ female announcer ] ...to help you truly shine. this is a way to be good to me. [ female announcer ] nurturing yourself. what will you gain when you lose? also available in nourish nutrition bars in the diet & nutrition aisle.

[ ding! ] losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-popcorn decoy bucket. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures only chex mix is a bag of interesting. with a variety of tastes and textures if youwith a variety of tastes and textures 'your life is a game of chance. chronic migraine, but what if the odds could be in your favor? botox® is an fda-approved treatment that significantly reduces headache days for adults with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. it's proven to actually prevent headache days. and it's injected by a doctor once every 3 months. the effects of botox® (onabotulinumtoxina) may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be a sign of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't take botox® if you have a skin infection. tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions,

and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. the dose of botox® is not the same as other botulinum toxins. put the odds on your side. visit botoxchronicmigraine.com and talk to a headache specialist. every day we're working to and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u.s. than any other place in the world. in fact, we've invested over $55 billion here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger.

for a lot of children in this country, christmas time means a living room full of gifts and a visit from santa. >> there are millions of kids in very tough circumstances that aren't as fortunate. >> one woman in ohio does her very best every year to change that for families in need. >> it's christmas time in cleveland. for these kids, the holidays came a few weeks early. >> are you ready for christmas? >> thanks to shannon and her non-profit angels for kids, holiday spirit is everywhere you look. for the last five years angles for kids has thrown a holiday party for families going through tough times. >> these kids, some of them are homeless and some are from transitional housing yuunits an facing traumatic times in their lives and wouldn't have a

christmas. >> but the holidays didn't always bring shannon joy. by the time she was 18 years old her parents and both sets of grandparents passed away leaving them orphans. >> the first christmas without them was pretty traumatic. i felt like i was alone and nobody understood what i was going through. so that's when i thought of helping kid who is were in similar circumstances as i was and i went to some group homes and i told the kid establish manager that i wanted to help the kids for christmas. >> shannon's small act of kindness grew into an annual holiday bash for underprivileged children and for many of the kids, these maybe the only presents they get all year. >> it's not the easiest thing in the world to be a single mother and to buy presents for three kids. i'm grateful that there's people out here willing to help. >> i lost a job a few months ago because my 3-year-old is really sick. it's great for the kids. they enjoy it. >> jennifer burgess's young daughter was born deaf.

>> having a daughter with special needs, stuff like this is unbelievable and makes life easier. >> tonight they have transformed to local church into a winter wonder land. 77 kids will receive over 400 gifts, all donated by local businesses, restaurants and friends. there are crafts and cookie decorations. and what's a holiday party without a visit from santa. but the moment everybody has waited for has finally arrived. >> there you go, buddy. >> crown for your head, yes.

>> oh, yay. >> they have everything they wanted. >> the most meaningful part to me is to see that they get what they want. >> it may not be christmas morning, but it sure feels like it. >> can you say thank you? >> thank you. >> the angels for kids foundation donated more than $16,000 worth of gifts this christmas. if you want to find out more about angels for kids you can head to today.com and really where ever you live in this country, there's ways to help out kids that need it this holiday season. >> absolutely. seeing the kids rip open the wrapping paper and the smiles on their faces, nothing beats that. we're back right after this. what does that first spoonful taste like?

ok. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. this is a great cereal. ugh! actually progresso's soup has pretty bold flavor. i love bold flavors! i'd love it if you'd open the chute! [ male announcer ] progresso. surprisingly bold flavor for a heart healthy soup. surprisingly bold flavor we'rone bite at a timeness with olive garden's new "tastes and toasts of italy" a festive menu of small plate appetizers, 4 dollars each, weekdays until 6pm. pair 'em with wine, beverages and friends at olive garden.

[ male announcer ] ever wonder why no other mouthwash feels like listerine®? because no other mouthwash works like listerine®. in your mouth, bacteria forms in layers. listerine® penetrates these layers deeper than other mouthwashes, killing bacteria all the way down to the bottom layer. so for a cleaner, healthier mouth, go with the mouthwash dentists recommend more than all others combined. #1 dentist recommended listerine®... power to your mouth™. ♪ ♪ if i was a flower growing wild and free ♪

♪ all i'd want is you to be my sweet honeybee ♪ ♪ and if was a tree growing tall and green ♪ ♪ all i'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves ♪ grown in america. picked & packed at the peak of ripeness. the same essential nutrients as fresh. del monte. bursting with life™. bill: boy, oh, boy.s penguin! as fresh. ja: yay! now what do you think he's got in that gift box, bill? bill: hopefully a present for my wife! jane: oh, no... bill: yea... catch the great ritz holiday parade across the web, for deals, recipes, and festive fun. it all starts at ritzparade.com. not anymore. what? my silverware isn't good enough for you? have -- have you seen it? yes, i have seen it, and it looks -- you gotta look better. ladies, breathe. cascade kitchen counselor here. it's not your silverware. it's likely your detergent. see, over time, cascade platinum's triple cleaning formula delivers brilliant shine finish gel can't beat. it even helps keep your dishwasher sparkling.

find something, mother? no. [ counselor ] cascade platinum is cascade's best. well, they say your hairdresser knows more secrets about you than your own spouse but wouldn't you like to know their secrets. like what they're really using on your hair? >> readers digest interviewed hairdressers across the country and we're spilling those secrets today. ted gibson is a celebrity hair stylest. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> you all were just talking in the break about this one. >> the first secret. >> first rule to live by. if there's one rule, it's this. don't make your first appointment with me on a saturday. why is that? >> hair stylers told readers digest that saturday is their busiest day and it's bad if it's your first time going with them because they need to spend extra time and hear what you want.

earlier in the week is better or they mentioned get the first appointment of the day, even if it's on the weekend because their schedule hasn't been thrown off yet. >> i'm going to tell you the truth. the truth is on saturday morning, first thing in the morning, hairdressers like to have a good time. friday night might not be -- they're going to have a great time on friday night but saturday morning you may not want to make the first appointment. maybe later in the day on saturday. >> but tuesdays you were saying? >> tuesdays are great. they're usually lighter. first thing in the morning on tuesday and early afternoon is perfect. >> good to know. here's another one. the clients i dread the most are those that say do whatever you want or i'm easy to work with. no guidance. >> women are complicated creatures. whether you're a celebrity or stay at home mom, it doesn't make any difference. but that's important to know is that you want to make sure that you ask enough questions in the consultation so that everything is perfect. now, women sometimes don't necessarily know. but it's important for a hairdresser to guide them.

i always say if you're going to a hairdresser and they haven't given you anything new in the past year, change hair dressers. >> good to know. >> telling your stylist what you don't like about your hair helps them fix your problems. >> or people like me that bring in the pictures that say this is what i want. i want to look like jennifer anniston. do you hate us for that? >> i think it's good for hair color but not like you want to look exactly like that. that's a moment in time because it's a photo. >> speaking of hair coloring. >> the next one is about bleach. we use words like lightener and decolorizer. >> women think of bleach as what? to clean? that's not the same thing ladies and gentlemen. it's a completely different thing but what bleach is is a lightening but what's the ingredient put into bleach is what makes the formula. >> it's a peroxide base. >> right. >> the higher the peroxide will

make it lighter faster. >> they want you to feel tampered. that's why they pretty up the language. they also say they shampoo your hair. they don't wash it. >> okay. sometimes when i don't have a client's color because we're out of it or forgot to write it down, i don't say anything, i just mix something new. this seems crazy. they're just making up their own formula here and you're laughing ted. >> this was a mixed bag. some say i always tell the truth but what the stylist is thinking i know i can make the color. a good colorist will be able to match the color. they don't want their client to worry. they say why should i worry you unnecessarily and if you're unhappy, i'll fix it. so that's how they justify. >> you look incredibly guilty over there. >> well, there is a situation sometimes where you do forget and forget to write it down but my new york salon or florida salon we try to keep accurate record and sometimes it's nice to have it just a little bit

different. just a little tweak. >> real quick, sometimes you actually keep client cards that get pretty personal. like what? >> of course like what they bought the last time they were in. what the color formula is. >> they said don't sit them next to children because they say inappropriate things. they don't tip well and anything you say and you tell your stylist a lot could be on your card. >> all right. very eye opening. >> thank you. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

our 20th anniversary toy drive underway on the plaza.

>> ladies, good morning and thank you again. >> good morning. excited to be here. >> what have you brought to the toy drive this year? >> we're excited. we're donating 250,000 products to over 60 organizations across the country and all of ourselves participate in this give and we're just super excited to donate lunchboxes and backpacks and fun things. >> there's the preteen to the older set that don't get a lot of the toys and stuff kind of gifts. this gift will go a long way toward our donation. >> yes. >> we really appreciate it. we know you testified a scholarship this year. we'll have more information on that on our website. >> thank you. >> now if you would like to donate to our toy drive as well you can still do so. head to our website today.com. make your donation there is and find out more detail. >> coming up, kathie

a very good morning to you. it is 9:56. i'm laura garcia cannon. actually a pair of breaking news stories this morning. the first one is going on in lafayette this morning. these are live pictures from the scene where a suspicious package

was reported at the intersection of brown avenue and mount diablo shutting down the street there. as can you see, a hazmat team looking at an object, but we're hearing it is equipment used for soil level testing. something we're keeping our eye on. in the meantime, in oakland streets are blocked because of an underground gas line fire. this is near the intersection of golf links road and fontaine street just west of interstate 580. there are evacuations in the immediate neighborhood. three homes in total affected there. we have a crew actually on the scene of both breaking news stories right now. we'll, of course, bring you more information as it comes into our newsroom. full coverage on our newscast coming up at 11:00 this morning as well. let's get a check of the forecast now with christina. >> hey, good morning to you. all that smoke in the atmosphere not going to help our situation. it's a spare the air day. you can see why. plenty of haze sit waited over oakland. temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s. as we head throughout the day, though, we will see a nice climb. temperatures actually climbing by about three to five degrees from where we ended up

yesterday. that means we'll see the mid 50s in places like foster city. right around 52 midmarket san francisco. 52 degrees in fremont. your full forecast is just a few moments. right now here's mike with your drive. >> important to note the issues off of 24 and off of 580 that laura talked about. those freeways are cleared of any of that activity. here, though, 808 is jammed up, and there's nothing on the chp. this just happened in the last few minutes. a big jam heading south towards mission bld. there may be a crash that just happened. i'll send that over to twitter. we'll look over the south bay in general. northbound 101 showing slowing towards san jose international airport. the rest of the south bay starting to thin out as for as the traffic flow. there's that gas leak that we talked about. >> we'll have another local news update at 10:25. [ female announcer ] for those who love sweets

your season is here. let's just call it the baking time of year. you need special ingredients. you need the staples for homemade. you need safeway sugar for just a buck eighty-eight. and that magic thing that makes everyone want another only two ninety-nine for challenge butter. and when hands get messy, quite surely they'll say, yum! wow! yay!

what a sweeter holiday. safeway. ingredients for life. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. it is coming down a little. it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. we have an exciting show today, hoda. from i carly. miranda cosgrove. sweet girl. they are fun when they answer your relationship questions together. they are the new odd couple. i love them. have you seen them in some

smar markets because of the snow in new york. >> because of what's happening in johannesburg. >> today is nelson mandell's service. leaders from over 90 countries. that's what is so impressive. everybody is saying it's raining. it's a blessing there. it's a gift from god. maybe tears from heaven too. >> what's funny is we were talking about how a lot of young leaders whose lives are cut short and you say i wonder what would have happened if kennedy had live and martin luther king and you can see his life how it unfolded and the great things he did. >> absolutely. >> we are talking about the winter weather, but if you are on flights, be careful. they were cancelling them last night. i think people realize a major

storm is coming. they come to us for the breaking stuff like check your local carrier. >> by the way, i wanted to get them big, fat. >> they are not and you can't get everything you want in life. it's going to accumulate a couple of inches. the voice last night -- >> there five performers. >> it's down to five. >> why shouldn't we pick 1 one out. >> you like this girl from the caribbean. >> when i have seen her, she is special. she sang bridge over troubled waters. let's listen. >> ♪ i will try ♪ ♪ i will ease your pain

>> the note went on forever. >> the thing that they edited out is the fact that it was upsetting you that it was intense and serious. we respect that obviously. we know what you are going through. regardless of popular opinion, that's probably one of the most flawless and graceful performances i have ever heard on this show. >> is adam her guy? >> yeah. she is really, really tall. >> what was edited out. you can tell that something was very sensitive and the song reminded her of getting past that. you don't know what it is. that only makes it that much more compelling. a little mystery involved.

we wish her the best. >> the results are tonight at 9:00, 8:00 central. because 18.5 million people watched the sound of music with carrie underwood, they are thinking of doing it again. i think that's great news. not the same one, but there were a lot of mixed reviews for carrie. i thought it was the greatest thing in the world. they said nobody can step into julie andrews's shoes. julie andrews stepped into mary martin to begin with. they are roles for the ages. every person who comes along has to mick it their own. she sang the living daylights out of everything. she gave it a great try and i was really, really proud of her. >> i felt the same way. when you watched carrie underwood sing, you dead stop. she's a lovely person. that colors me too the way i want to receive it.

in typical carrie fashion. she responded to critics. she said they will number my prayers tonight and quoted the bible verse that began rid yourself of all malace and hypocrisy and slamming of every kind. >> these haters need some jesus. good for her. the best way to get it behind her is she knows because of her that is how many people watched. you could have put the greatest broadway star in that role and it would never get that attention. >> not only the people who remember, but the young people who were watching it for the first time were paying attention. >> julie andrews support her love and support. if julie can, everybody else can take a tip. >> what should everyone else do next? >> besides one of mine? >> the wizard of oz would be an easy one to do.

>> no for the same reasons. it's iconic. they tried to do it. it's called the wiz. >> the wizard of oz -- >> take the movie version and make it on the stage version. >> what's the one i mentioned earlier? >> you liked mame. >> that's a fun one, but remember the actress eleanor parker played. she passed away right after this was aired. complications of pneumonia at 91 years old. crazy. >> it sure is. we always tell you about these sexy guy calendars with the guys and we have something way better. the new york city taxi drivers. it's the 2014 calendar and it's hard to pick our favorites. >> i like mr. february.

love him. >> it says here it's a good thing i have a haurt because i would have named my son after every player on the 1979 arsenal football team. that's dan. >> you really get to know the people. >> we loved may. how could you not love may. biting his finger. i love to meet and talk with so many different people. that's my favorite part of the job. >> i like him. >> we have to do him. he had so good. reading the romance novel. jose starred in numerous television commercials in venezuela. >> okay. one last 1 as we talk. >> this one? >> no. are you sure wasn't this? that one. you gotta get a driver who knows what to do in trouble. look at him. come on.

side of the road kind of guy. >> $14.99 and 100% of the proceeds go to the settlements. >> you may not be flying today, but expedia.com and they have biggest pet peeves. >> we ranked them from 5 to number one. >> number five is the chatty kathy. never stops talking. number four is the boozer. sometimes that's also chatty kathy. this one drives me crazier than anything. the smelly passenger. >> that can be translated in a couple of ways. >> it could be bo or lots of extra perfume. i was on a plane once and a guy took his shoes off and they wreaked. it was bad. like the kind where you look around and say wow, it's him.

i took perfume out because i don't like to smell like that and i went to the bathroom and i sprayed some on me and i came out and said do you mind? he was offended by my perfume. he said we are in a closed space. i didn't know what to do. i didn't say what about your feet. i was like oh, my gosh. i feel embarrassed. >> the only time hold is brave is in a car. the venom that spews and the sign language and everything. that's when hoda feels brave. >> i felt bad that he was mad at me. >> little children can get away with it. this man was trying to come on to my sister once and he was sitting next to her little girl. finally shany looks at her mother and said mommy, does his breath smell?

the guy never said another word. he was trying to get to my sister. that's nasty. real seat kicker. can't stand that. especially if it's a little kid and the parents don't do anything. i go to the flight attendant first. maybe the parents aren't aware, but this is really, really upsetting. once our producer tammy had a lady scream at her because of the little kid that was kicking the back. can you control your kid? tammy said it's not my kid. it wasn't. it really wasn't. the best thing to do is go to the flight attendant. the first one is the parents. >> i want to give a shout out to a guy who is so beloved and his name is frank davis who passed away last night. he was an iconic figure in new orleans. he was the man. he did all kinds of cooking and when he walked into a

restaurant, everyone anyhow him. it's a huge loss for new orleans. he was fighting an autoimmune disease. >> love to his family. we told you miranda will be on the show. she has millions of twitter followers and we will try to take time for you to tweet us at klg and hoda and u use #orangeroom. again, get tweeting. we want your questions. if you are hoping to get kissed under the missile toe this year -- >> you know you guys, write in if you have a story and remember we need you to send in your kids's new year's resolution. we need you to send in your kids'[ male announcer ]ution. this is jim, a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat,

not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke.

get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto® and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto®. once a day xarelto® means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. [ female announcer ] let betty do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies.

visit bettycrockercookies.com for fun holiday ideas. betty crocker cookie mix. just pour, mix...love. betty crocker cookie mix. what does that first spoonful taste likok. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. this is a great cereal. the deep sweep power brush by oral-b for the first time. wow. it's "wow," you know? wow. wow. that feels "wow." [ male announcer ] oral-b deep sweep, featuring 3 cleaning zones with dynamic power bristles that reach deep between teeth to remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush. it seems like it gets more to areas of your mouth that you can't reach with a regular toothbrush. [ male announcer ] guaranteed "wow" with deep sweep from oral-b. #1 dentist-recommended toothbrush brand worldwide.

you party soles out there, if you are looking for love. >> or you found love and you need help dealing with what comes with it, we have advice. >> that's. it's not just any advice. it's elle's advice and i heart radio with matthew huszy. our favorite odd towel. >> you two are an unlikely duo, but it works, baby. let's start with laurie. my husband's parents always come over on christmas eve and now they want to make it on christmas day. how do i tell my husband to stick with the original plans. >> for sounds like they come and eat and go home and come back. >> it's really tough when someone's family mean more to them when it does to you. unfortunately christmas is about family. trying to exclude them on that

one day is not easy. i want our time where we have our special time and our traditions and quirks and moments, but i also want to make you happy and your family happy. i would also say why is she not inviting it. if she was being more expansive, i want to embrace it and make it a great day. >> i have an idea. you say darling, thank god your parents are coming for new year's eve. i love them christmas eve. now, darling, i have been thinking and as you say that, you pull out a box with a bow. christmas morning when the kids are opening the presents, this is what i had in mind for you on christmas morning. >> what's in the box? >> there is a promise. what a special treat that she is going to enjoy with her husband personally. >> all day christmas day.

then she says how about new years day with your family. >> you know what's missing is her family. lots of times people break it up. weill be with your family that night and my family the next. who knows what the dynamic is. >> they have their own family as well. their only unit between the two of them. they have that time for each other. >> doesn't sound like they have which were or she would have mentioned that. >> lindsay said i am 25 and i have never been kissed under the mistletoe. i have been told i'm intimidating. >> telling women they are intim dating is a line to keep women down. if women were more intimidating we would be running more of the fortune 500 companies.

we run 4%. he is saying you are pretty, but you don't smile enough. when she goes through the party she she grab the oldest guy and plant a big one on him. leave the younger guys with the ideas of what to do. >> now the voice of reason. >> for the viewers, i have a seven-step guide for this. this is designed to get people that kiss by midnight. i will give you a couple of tips. the first thing and i agree, smile. as soon as you walk into the room, smile. that kills intimidation. the key to availability is approaching the guy. say something you can say. she could say snag is risk-free. it's so great that everyone is so happy now. everyone is happy and having a good final.

i love that. >> she can say let me in on the secret. i have never been kissed under the missile toe. >> not as the first thing to say. >> what nice guy wouldn't? >> i like that one. i like to close out the conversation to invite -- christmas day is christmas shopping. i would love for us to go shopping together. let's hold each other accountable. >> just down the street. >> make out. you can get weird diseases that way. >> keep the extra pounds from sneaking up. madeline is here to help you. she already has six million twitter followers. >> she wants to hear from you. >> miranda cosgrove is [ female announcer ] puffs knows winter is hard on your face. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] the start of sneeze season.

the wind-blown watery eyes. [ sniffling ] the sniffling guy on the bus. and, of course, the snow angels with your little angels. that's why puffs plus lotion is soft. puffs plus are dermatologist tested to be gentle. they help soothe irritated skin by locking in moisture better. so you can always put your best face forward. a face in need deserves puffs indeed. i create my unique look. l'oreal super slim liner. point 4 millimeter precision and control, lets you go subtle, or striking. a pigment so rich, my ultimate perfection. the super slim liner from l'oreal paris. we'rone bite at a timeness with olive garden's new "tastes and toasts of italy" a festive menu of small plate appetizers, 4 dollars each, weekdays until 6pm. pair 'em with wine, beverages and friends at olive garden. mom swaps my snack for a piña colada yoplait. and when mom said i was going out too much,

i swapped it for staying in. [ shouts ] guess who's going out tomorrow. [ female announcer ] swap one snack a week for a yoplait. it is so good. be careful babe. [ doorbell rings ] let's see what's cookin'. look at this. that's a swiffer. i don't have to climb up. did you notice how clean it looks? morty are you listening? morty? [ morty ] i'm listening! i want you to know.

morty are you listening? morty? these samsung gadgets and you can buy 'em all with your walmart credit card. can i show you something really cool? he's really into this stuff. sure. these guys can read each others' minds. so when the galaxy tab 3 or galaxy s4 have a holiday film, this guy can get on the party bus too. oh, i'll get on that party bus. choo-choo! that's a train. own the season and get connected with all the latest samsung devices. get 6, 12, 18, or 24 months special financing with a walmart credit card. minimum purchase and certificate required. valid in-store only through 12/31/13. walmart.

>> miranda cosgrove became a star of the hit show icarly. in the blockbuster film des pingable me ii. now it's available on blu-ray and dvd. >> here to answer twitter followers, do you know how many followers you have? >> i just hit 6 million. >> we will never know what that's like. >> you were going to usc film school. >> i just finished my second year at usc. it's going pretty well. >> congratulations. >> should we take a couple of twitter questions. look how we do it. >> have you had any spaghetti tacos since icarly. >> i have not had any spaghetti tacos. >> next time you are here we will make you some. >> those would be really good. >> you want to do it, miranda?

>> this way? >> excellent. >> that are is pretty cool. >> when is your album coming out? >> yeah, i have been in the studio a lot recently. i'm hoping to release new stuff soon. i love singing. it was fun going on tour and all of that. >> she said love you. >> thank you. i love you too. >> what new projects are coming up? what are you working on? crissy. >> i have new music and i really have been focussing on school and next month i'm doing a movie. it's a thriller. it's different than anything i have done. >> we love you and we love when you come by. >> a medical yon of your twitter followers. >> thank you for having me. >> madeline is going to help you get rid of unwanted holiday pounds.

>> coming up after your local news. ♪ ♪ fruit, with a cool finish. fruit on one side. cool on the other. ice breakers duo. a fruity cool way to break the ice. ♪ hey, that's the last crescent! oh, did you want it? yeah. we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light, buttery and flakey.

that's half. that's not half! guys, i have more. thanks, mom. [ female announcer ] do you have enough pillsbury crescents? ♪ ♪ can you barbeque a turkey? ♪ >> good morning to you. 10:26. we're actually following a pair of breaking news stories. first in lafayette a suspicious package was reported at the intersection of brown avenue and mount diablo boulevard.

the crews are removing that box from the scene. we are hearing its equipment used for soil level testing. no word on how it actually ended up there. oakland streets are blocked off because an underground gas line fire. this is near the intersection of golf links road and fontaine street west of interstate 508. there are evacuations in the immediate neighborhood. three homes in total. we have crews actually at both scenes this morning and we'll bring you more updates at 11:00 in our full newscast. we'll have a look at weather and traffic right after this break.

>> welcome back. still cold out there. temperatures are going to be chilly all day long. only reaching into the mid 50s. that's warmer than where he we ended up yesterday. san francisco nice clear sky overhead. as we head throughout the day today, our warming trend really begins. as we get into the end of the week, finally talking about a return to the 60s in places like san jose. one area where we are going to suffer is our air quality. today we're at the unhealthy level up in the north bay in particular. tomorrow gets even worse. then as we head into wednesday and thursday we're talking about the worst air quality all week. likely sparing the air for those days. by friday a better situation. let's check your drive and say good morning to mike. >> don't breathe on thursday. i'm just kidding. looking at the bay bridge, we have the backup that formed as we had a crash on the incline that has just cleared in the last couple of minutes. should see quick improvement out of the maze and across the bridge. oakland, it's very light coming up through this area. not i lot of traffic on impact. the rest of the backup there.

north bay southbound 101, a crash just cleared from the bottom of this screen. we have our recovery now southbound. >> look at that. welcome back to "today" on this blues day tuesday. it's time to cut the creep. diet expert is here with two brave viewers. melvina and kathy who want to keep the extra pounds from sneak up during the holidays. how did they do? we will find out. mat lip is with us. let's talk. >> our ladies have worked hard and melvina had a little going up on the scale after thanksgiving. you were up two pounds? >> yes. >> that are energized her and motivated her rather than panic. kathy was on the way down. >> let's talk about melvina first. you weighed her this morning.

this is nerve racking to me. >> my heart is going. >> she is on the scale. tell us what the verdict is. >> she is down 2.6 pounds. she lot of a total of .6 pounds. more than a half a pound since the start. >> that's going to motivate you even more. you lot of almost three pounds in a week. >> part was flute. that doesn't always mean weight. to say yikes, i don't want this to stay on and you worked doubly hard. >> did you have the eggnog? >> one. >> let's move on to kathy. >> she stepped on the scale. and now her total is down 2.1. >> that's good.

>> a total of 3.3. >> what do you think? >> great. i feel energized by not worrying about the food. i feel mindful. >> what did you do differently? >> i'm hula hooping. >> you love to knit, but that was a sedentary thing and you put that down and picked up the hula hoop. >> and i haven't baked. >> another thing is when she goes somewhere and went to a a lot of peruvian treats. she didn't say i'm dieting. the minute you say no thank, they shove it on you. she was successful by being a taster and not saying anything. >> good for you. >> do you let people know you are watching or don't? >> yes, i think everyone knows here. >> you were at a party and she

ate before she went. she wasn't as tempted when she went to the party and she had wine and everything. that's true. >> i have friends who eat before so they feel full. >> there is a lot of great stuff to eat. you feel more focused. why set yourself up in a situation where you are starving. a lot of people don't eat all day because you are going to a party. >> the exercise that you are doing which i find difficult are the burpees. >> i hate them. >> why are you doing them? >> they burn a lot of calories. >> will you show us? >> i might know. >> down-oh, yeah. >> how many do do you? >> i do intervals of 20 seconds and rest 10 seconds. >> how do you time it? >> i have an ap.

>> let me see yours. >> i have a trampoline. >> make sure you are not going to bang anything. >> let's see. yeah, yeah. >> i can do it for like 15 minutes while watching tv. >> how long can you go? >> here. here's yours. >> it's not weighted. rate? >> and go. >> kathie lee, go. >> go. go. >> coming up, toys for all ages. it will help your little ones learn a new skill. if you don't have plans for new learn a new skill. if yi was living with pain --ew all over.

the intense ache made it hard to do the things that i wanted. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i can do more of the things i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain.

am i forgetting something? no holiday's complete without campbell's green bean casserole. wish you were here. ♪ [ doorbell ] [ gasps ] ♪ [ gong ] [ wisest kid ] m'm! m'm! good! l'oreal introduces newfect. voluminous butterfly mascara. l'oreal's revolutionary asymmetric brush instantly volumizes from the root and stretches lashes towards the outer corner. bold fanned out volume. new butterfly mascara from l'oreal. [ woman ] the technology in these pads... best creation ever! [ female announcer ] always infinity. the only pad made with foam not fluff so mind-blowingly thin, you'll be surprised it's up to 55% more absorbent. genius. always infinity. you'll be surprised it's up to 55% more absorbent.

wout of landfills each year? plastic waste to cover mt. rainier by using one less trash bag each month, we can. and glad forceflex bags stretch until they're full.* so you can take them out less often. you can fill that box and pay one flat rate. how naughty was he? oh boy... [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. ♪ hark how the bells, sweet silver bells ♪ ♪ all seem to say throw care away ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the air ♪ [ female announcer ] chex party mix. easy 15-minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. like caramel chocolate drizzles. happier holidays. chex party mix. no, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini delivers fast craving relief in just 3 minutes. double your chances of quitting with nicorette mini.

wawith the hottest newds gifts for christmas, like lego marvel super heroes. it's so much fun. there are over a hundred characters. ... do a hulk smash. get a giant attack! i like the hulk because he's big. i'm playing in manhattan right now. i'm iron patriot, and i like him because he can fly. this figure is really cool. we want this game for christmas! walmart has the hottest gifts chosen by kids like the lego marvel super heroes for for the xbox one and xbox 360. game rated e 10+. walmart.

travel plans are often for family members, but getting away for new year's eve can be a treat. >> there deals and destinations out there to help you bring in 2014. the author of travel therapy, where do you need to go? >> nice to see you and welcome for the first time. >> thank you so much. >> there still deals out there? >> absolutely. i know you are thinking it's too late, but the key is to be smart about it. we don't have a lot of time so you want to do a-stop shopping. check out hotels, deals, destinations and go. when it comes to airline tickets, this is a big one. the big expense. i helped a friend last night. the key is to try to travel on tuesday night. those tickets are high. try to travel monday and tuesday. if you can travel new year's eve

day, you can save 50%. go in the morning. >> there is some really amazing and exciting places, but like i said, you want to get the hotels. make sure you are searching. we will tell you what i found. when it comes to hotels, you will have a vision of where you want to go. call the hotel. you know the old days where you pick up not online. call. they have last minute cancellations. if they don't have something, they can recommend something close to their brand, something else you may like. you are striking out online. think outside the box. you want to come for new year's eve here in new york. tickets are high. stay in a ski resort and come down. >> take us to napa. >> i planned this just for you girls. napa valley, one of the most beautiful places to go for new year's eve and believe it or not, i found a deal still available at the west on downtown on the river. $169 a night.

if you go to one, they have a party and a five-course meal with wine. it's a great way to celebrate. also in napa. look at the property. they have a party downtown at great gatsby where you can get into that and a masquerade ball. >> in toronto, canada. that's a hot spot. >> a lot of people don't realize. >> a great mayor. >> i knew you would get that in. it's only 70 minute flight from new york. a lot of other direct flights. check your market. toronto will be the music party this year. downtown they have this huge celebration and live bands and fireworks. they will have different stages with international artists. now for a place to stay, we found you the eaton chelsea. a great downtown hotel that you can see here. they finished a major renovation and a great start at 165 a

night. you can walk to those events we were talking about. a 10-minute walk is chilly. a five-minute cab ride. jackson hole is a great place. the off the beaten path. the number six trip adviser destination trip on the rise. this is a hot spot. it was number one ski area in north america. look at this mountain and the powder. you can ski and snowmobile in yellowstone park. it's stunning. a great place to stay is the wyoming inn starting at $180 a night. it has a free shuttle to the mountain top. at the mountain, we will do fireworks for new year's eve and a party at a restaurant. there will be a lot of cool things going on. >> we have a tiny bit of time, but chicago is a major city you enjoy. >> the hard rock hotel is partnering with playboy's 60th anniversary. they will have everything. champagne and live music and

that's where you want to go. >> the bunnies look good now. >> $260 a night. legoland has a special new year's eve only $20 for kids. >> orlando is a sunny spot. >> if you are hired of the weather, orlando is the number one destination for new years with families. that's a big thing. we have millions of people who give advice. it's smart to use a site like that and get the information. $254 a night, but $50 each night. >> thank you very much. happy new year to you. >> you too. if you plan to bring the kids on the trip. if you plan to bring the kids on the trip. we have ways to ♪ me and you - a little rendezvous. ♪ if you plan to bring the kids on ♪ that special something that will carry you through... ♪ ♪ that little reward for all the things you do. ♪ luscious, creamy filling - combined with our slow-melting chocolate - the one and only ghirardelli squares chocolate.

for all the things you do. only from ghirardelli. try our caramel, now with sea salt. [ male announcer ] experience new febreze sleep serenity and let the soothing scent of moonlit lavender lull you to sleep. an official product of the national sleep foundation. breathe happy. sleep happy. [ ding ] i sense you've overpacked, your stomach.

try pepto to-go. it's pepto-bismol that fits in your pocket. relief can be yours, but your peanuts... are mine. ♪ yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive.

- hi, i'm martha. if you know me, you know i don't do many ads, which is why when i say pine brothers softish throat drops are the best throat drops in america for minor sore throat irritation, then you can believe it. nothing on the market soothes your throat as effectively and deliciously as pine brothers. in fact, they're more than just a throat drop. they're an experience. please give pine brothers softish throat drops a try and find out why i'm such a fan of this wonderful product. thanks. female announcer: since 1870.

>> help is here. >> contributor to time to

play.com. you can never go wrong with a new toy if it teaching a child a new skill. >> great ideas you have across the board. >> parents tend to buy their kids the things that are the most advertised. if you buy a toy for someone else's child, it's great to go with the hidden gems. parent appreciate that. we will go age appropriate up. we will start with the floor. >> this is one of the producers. 1 gratulations on your cute baby. >> this is the tummy time activity floor mat. what is great about this one is that had helps babies strengthen their necks and core and entertainment and parents love it because this rolls up and you can take it with you when you travel. it's perfect. that's what they are looking at

will. >> it's washable. >> and jumy. >> rory is playing the drums. 2-year-old. >> this is the things they love to do which is bang on things. this is the kitty by v tech and when she bangs on it, it's going give outleters and numbers and this helps with her development and she gets to bang on something. >> better her baby brother. what are jada and lauren up to? >> this went viral and is very popular. developed by an engineer at stanford. she wanted toys for girls and encourage building and construction. >> another part of the brain. >> we're start with the spinning machine and this is a new one. the parade float. comes with a book and the main character of goldie block. teaching girls. >> very cute. >> morgan is busy at work. >> i love this.

the gift that keeps on giving. this is a monthly subscription. you want that kid to get something from you every month. this is the activity kit. right here he is doing the holiday kit. the polar expedition kit. >> it's a little bit of instruction and something to play with. >> hooey is destroying things. >> this is fantastic. i think we are missing kids. >> they are fine. you and i are kids. what do we do? >> kids love to play with the boxes and this is play from scratch. this is yoxo done with recycleable materials. this is a box of boxes and a tube of tubes with connectors. >> fine. >> you can connect it. >> oh, my gosh. >> you can connect cereal boxes.

it gets them creative. >> okay. >> this is another one of my favorites. >> david. this is the park up magic reader. you can send this to the grandma and grandpa and they record themselves. 50 books. you turn this button on and it senses the pace and reads along with her. she can learn to read and when she learns, she will record her own books. >> sweet. >> the last thing is mad formers. they have madness on every end. >> i love magnets. >> we used these and it's very much like this. kids can learn as they play. they will learn about geometry

and spatial relations. >> thanks to all the kids. >> merry christmas. we'll be right back with two special guests. >> first this is today on nbc. [ female announcer ] for those who love sweets your season is here. let's just call it the baking time of year. you need special ingredients. you need the staples for homemade. you need safeway sugar for just a buck eighty-eight. and that magic thing that makes everyone want another

only two ninety-nine for challenge butter. and when hands get messy, quite surely they'll say, yum! wow! yay! what a sweeter holiday. safeway. ingredients for life.

>> christmas is growing closer and many are helping the holidays be brighter by contributing to the toy drive. we love this gentlemen. chairman of tubber wear brands and the boys and girls club of america. they do so much great work. an incredible young woman, kianna nolan who is the national youth of the year. we are so glad to see you. >> so glad to see you all. >> why do you continue to do this? >> this is the reason.

we have got 15 million youth at risk and we take care of about 5 million of them. we are so proud of her. we were kidding. she is beautiful and she wasn't picked for looks. she is picked for achievement. she is wonderful. >> you are a freshman at howard? >> you are right. >> what are you studying? >> public relations with a minor in political science and i hope to be a federal prosecutor. >> hoda's job. >> this is the shape of toy. >> talk about toys that teach. all those we sold over the years can stretch to paris. >> wow. >> i have got to say, we distributed the toys we collect here at the boys and girls club. it's pushing 76 million that we passed out. so thank you. >> thank you. thank you so much. >> ready for a break.

our toy drive continues until december 20th. online or in person. >> i

right now two breaking news stories we're following. a suspicious container shuts down a busy intersection. first, flames shooting up through the street in oakland. a neighborhood evacuated as crews look into an underground gas line fire. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> that underground fire has been booming for three hours now that is just west of interstate 580. nbc bay area's chase cain live at the scene. they're just going to let this thing burn out? >> yeah. we have a fire truck that's trying to get through. obviously, that's sort of the priority is letting the first responders get here to the